


Reap What You Sow

by Honbunbun



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged up characters, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mind your business, Mutual Pining, Pining, Shine AU, Slow Burn, chapter one canon compliant, except Pennywise actually died in chapter one, monster hunting, original monsters, their shines are like superpowers basically, theres also benverly and hanbrough cause I have no self control, yes Richie sometimes makes references that dont make sense for the time period
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 77,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22946212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honbunbun/pseuds/Honbunbun
Summary: "Is it gone?" Beverly whispered after what seemed like years."No." Bill answered, almost calmly--so much so Eddie wouldn't have even been alarmed if it hadn't been for the blood rolling out of his nose. The contrast was jarring against the white of his skin--when had he gone that pale?They killed the damn clown; it should have been over. Its death left a vacuum--drawing them out, calling for them.It's not over. Not yet.OrThe one where the Losers have superpowers.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 548
Kudos: 998





	1. When Nothing's More than Nature (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> It's here! 
> 
> I cannot believe how long we've been working on this, we are so excited to share this with you guys!! For those who don't know, this is a project Punkyiggy and I have been working on forever. We worked together to build the story for MONTHS; and now I'm writing it, and they're doing lovely art for it (all handles are at the end of the chapter). This is a huge work of love, and we hope you guys like it :') 
> 
> Enjoy!

"He's _so_ late." 

They were all supposed to meet at the pharmacy at four so Eddie could get his prescription and Beverley could get her cigarettes—which they did, almost thirty minutes ago. They were supposed to go to the clubhouse after that, except now they were just waiting for the one Loser that had yet to turn up.

"We should just leave him." Stan grumbled, leaning against the building, looking particularly irritated.

"Next time we should t-tell him the meetup time is an hour earlier," Bill groaned, sliding down the wall until he sat on the dirty cement. Gross.

Eddie was absolutely fuming. "If we leave him, I can’t kick his ass when he gets here— _whenever_ that may be."

"We told him the right time, didn’t we?" Mike asked, as patient as always; almost annoyingly so, actually.

"Of course we did, he’s just an idiot." Eddie huffed. It’s not like this was particularly surprising behavior, but Eddie figured that considering it was the group’s first official summer hangout after graduation, Richie might bother to show up on time.

"Speak of the idiot and he shall appear," Ben said, nodding at that familiar lanky figure rushing towards them from down the street.

Richie came jogging over to them, smiling eagerly, dropping his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Guys! You’ll never guess what I found!"

"Apparently not a watch," Eddie remarked, making Stan snicker.

"Spaghetti, please, this is much more important than time," Richie said dismissively, straightening out. "Check this jacket out!" he exclaimed, giving them a spin so everyone could get a good look.

A "good" look was a generous term; the jacket was absolute garbage. Black denim, faded in more than a few places, a few rips and frayed spots. And that was without the most generic, randomly placed iron-on patches Eddie had ever seen in his life—a rose with thorns, and some faded yellow "hang loose" patch. It was a disaster.

Actually, Eddie wouldn’t have been surprised if Richie had seriously pulled it out of a trash can on his way over. "What the hell is this?"

"I found it in my closet!" Richie said excitedly. "I think I bought it awhile ago, or maybe my dad did, I dunno—but it’s awesome, right?"

"Awesome?" Stan asked incredulously, pinching at one of the aforementioned patches. "This is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen."

Richie swatted his hand away. "Awe come on now guys, it has potential! Personality!"

Beverly looked over it, her face only mildly twisted in disgust. "Maybe… If we get some new patches on it. And wash it. I can see something here."

Richie motioned to her dramatically. "Aha! See? Told ya."

"It’s actual trash, Rich." Eddie said with a roll of his eyes, pulling off a stray string hanging off the bottom. "Is this what you kept us waiting for? Cause you were digging around in your closet for a trash jacket?"

"Maybe." Richie put his arm around him, grinning. "What? You really don’t like Trash Jacket?"

Eddie shrugged him off, groaning in disgust. And even worse, he was the one who just gave this garbage a _title_. "Don’t touch me with that thing on, I don’t want whatever diseases it’s carrying."

Stan rolled his eyes. "Trash Jacket was definitely not worth the wait, that’s for sure."

"So mean," Richie laughed, pinching at Eddie’s cheek before he could get out of arm’s reach. "Anyway, we just gonna stand around here all day or what?"

Eddie would’ve punched him right in the ribs for that if Stan hadn’t done it first, so Eddie just settled for yelling at him. A lot.

Richie and Eddie made it to the clubhouse first. Admittedly only because they began racing each other when they started to get close—the hammock was on the line, after all.

Eddie actually made it there first for once because Richie slipped on some leaves, and Eddie wasted no time in dropping down the ladder and hopping in the hammock. He had comfortably laid back by the time Richie came clambering down the ladder.

"Awe, no fair! I slipped—I could’ve died!" Richie didn’t lose the race often, but he always whined about it for twenty minutes anytime he did.

"Sucks to suck." Eddie said with a smug grin, watching as Richie just stood next to him, pouting.

Eddie’s chest stirred a bit. Yet another thing he did anytime he lost—rather than sitting somewhere else, he just stood at Eddie’s side. It was so endearing; Eddie might’ve shared the hammock with him if he thought they would both fit. They weren’t kids anymore, sadly.

Eddie reached over, lightly tugging at Trash Jacket. "I guess it’s not _that_ bad, it’s still a work in progress. So long as you add some personality to it."

Richie practically beamed at him, like he’d never been pouting in the first place at all. "Yeah, it needs some good personality. You’ll have to help me with that."

Eddie smiled and rolled his eyes, his chest warmer than he’d care to admit. "Yeah, we’ll see."

Beverly was the next to arrive, laughing when she saw Richie standing there. "Awe, poor Trash Mouth, pouting in his little Trash Jacket."

"I’m not pouting anymore, thank you very much."

"Mmhmm." Ben hummed sarcastically as he made his way down next. Even Stan looked outwardly amused by Richie’s loss when he saw it.

A comfortable silence fell over them as everyone made it inside and found somewhere to settle down. Maybe it was cliche, but the clubhouse really did feel like home. Eddie felt that way about a handful of places, but the clubhouse was definitely near the top. Coming here _always_ felt the same as going back to his actual home. Maybe even more so. 

Eddie was quite enjoying the warm calm, but of course, Richie didn’t let it last long.

"So, what’re we gonna do now that we’ve graduated?" Richie asked, a smirk finding his face. "How about monster hunting?"

Eddie threw his head back with a groan—God, if he hadn’t heard this _a million_ times now. "Christ Richie, are you still going on about this?"

"About what?" Beverly asked, her interest piqued. She eagerly scooted closer to them; she loved Richie's bullshit stories. 

"You haven’t heard?" Richie asked, his eyes lighting up. So it seemed Eddie would be hearing this a million _and one_ times. "Oh Marsh, buckle up, you’re in for a _ride_."

"You say it like it’s anything other than some poor druggie out of her mind," Eddie said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hush!" Richie demanded. "Don’t spoil it!" he turned back to his now-captivated audience, ready to blow their minds.

As usual, Richie’s storytelling was nothing short of dramatic. Always the entertainer.

"Last week, during graduation, I heard someone say that their aunt saw a freaking _monster._ Like, she’s dead serious. Says she was walking home alone at night and was suddenly totally freaking lost, then saw this weird ‘creature’ following her. Practically chasing her."

"And she lived?" Bill asked, his eyes glued to Richie similar to how a child’s would be to their favorite TV show.

"No Bill she died—yes she lived, you idiot! She said a car almost hit the monster and it fled, and that she snapped out of it and suddenly knew where she was—standing in the road, only a few minutes from where she started, like she’d been wandering around in circles. Creepy, huh?"

"Very creepy," Mike said, but it was obviously nothing more than a nicety. The only one who looked actually blown away was Bill.

"Awe come on," Richie groaned in defeat, shoulders slumping. "You believe Eds and his druggie story?"

"I think it’s r-real." Bill said, totally seriously. "I dunno, I just totally believe it."

"That’s my Billiard!" Richie said, aggressively ruffling at Bill’s hair before turning his attention back to Eddie. "What do you think of that, Eduardo?"

"I think Bill also believed in Santa until he was twelve." Eddie deadpanned.

Mike grinned at Bill. "Did you really?"

"No…" Bill muttered, his face red.

"I think you’re just blind to the possibilities, Eddie-boy. It’s not like it’d be the first time Derry has had monsters." Richie said, seeming to regret it right after he said it.

"Beep-beep." Beverly said sharply.

Richie put his hands up in surrender, but it was lacking comedic energy. Another silence fell over them—and it definitely wasn’t as comfortable as before.

That silence was the only reason they heard the leaves crunching overhead.

"What is that?" Ben asked lowly.

No one answered, everyone just listened. It was steady, and definitely heavily. There were several footsteps. An animal? Maybe a few people who were seriously pissed off. Or determined.

"Do you think someone followed us?" Mike whispered.

"I don’t feel so good." Bill muttered, seemingly to himself, suddenly looking pale.

Everyone held their breath as the footsteps stopped just before the opening to the clubhouse. Eddie wasn’t sure when, but at some point he had stood and was standing right at Richie’s side, gripping his stupid jacket as hard as he could. It could’ve been covered in sewage for all Eddie cared—in that moment, it felt like a lifeline.

Time seemed to absolutely drag on. Eddie couldn’t tell if it had been seconds or minutes, but every passing moment was _painful—_ the anxiety was unbearable.

"Is it gone?" Beverly whispered after what seemed like years.

"No." Bill answered, almost calmly—so much so Eddie wouldn’t have even been alarmed if it hadn’t been for the blood rolling out of his nose. The contrast was jarring against the _white_ of his skin—when had he gone _that_ pale?

Almost on cue, a roar sounded overhead so loud the dust from the ceiling of the clubhouse fell like a sheet of rain down on their heads. Eddie could feel it in his hair; resting on his eyelashes, but he didn’t move to wipe it away. He might as well have not noticed at all.

Everyone was on their feet, rushing to the back wall, all pressed together, as far away from the opening as they could possibly be. Bill looked lightheaded, but he was strong enough to be on his own feet, so Eddie assumed he was okay for now.

"What the Hell is that!?" Richie shouted, gripping at Eddie’s hand—Eddie gripped back.

"A bear?!" Stan shouted frantically.

"No way," Mike said confidently, despite the tremor in his voice. "That’s definitely not a bear."

Once again, there was a silence. A complete stillness—no one even breathed. Eddie would’ve given anything for it not to last. Though he quickly changed his mind about that.

When it came into the clubhouse, the wood around the opening splintered as it strained to contain its size—the ladder snapped like a twig under its weight.

Even as it came crashing down, no one moved or spoke. Eddie couldn’t have breathed even if he had wanted to.

And when it looked at them, Eddie’s heart stopped.

_What the fuck is **that**? _


	2. They Grew from the Cracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys!! We've already received such amazing support and love just from the prologue, we are beyond grateful. We love you guys so much :') 
> 
> Also! All the monsters are original, and created by the amazingly talented Punkyiggy, who did SO much research and studying to make these bad boys. They spent actual days coming up with these guys; all I did was decide how to adapt them to the story, and am desperately trying to do them a justice :') 
> 
> Please enjoy!

_Okay._ Richie thought as calmly as he possibly could. _That’s a fucking monster._

And it was definitely not a monster like they were used to. It wasn’t an image of their fear, it didn’t lurk in darkness and the corner of their eyes—it was right there, and it was hunting.

If Richie _really_ wanted to pretend that it wasn’t a monster, he could say it was a lion. If he really wanted to, he could desperately cling to that—it had a face like a lion, it had a mane. What else do you need?

But Richie wasn’t so close-minded to try and deny it. Lions were not _that_ big, their torsos didn’t stretch _that_ long. Lions didn't have streaks of rustic reds, golds, and what seemed to be even hues of purples buried within their manes—and said manes didn’t hold themselves up and out like flowers around the lions’ heads. Lions did not have fangs like saber teeth tigers or dark, twisted horns. Lions did not have fur _this_ golden or thick; their fur didn’t catch the sun and throw it right back at them like it was reflecting off something glass. Lions did not look like this.

“We’re all seeing this right?” Stan whispered, but no one had the chance to answer him before their new lion-like friend let out another roar that made the support of the clubhouse shake and the Loser’s scream.

It hesitated when they screamed, looking frustrated. It took an impatient step backwards, then forwards again, and Richie only just now noticed how unimaginably huge those claws were.

The fear seemed to be buried deep in his bones, his blood stream—he could feel it travelling through him, setting his cells alive like a current. He’d never felt anything like this, like fear so strong it was _static._

Yet behind it all, he could feel Eddie still holding onto him, keeping him grounded.

Bill, on the other hand, was not so grounded. He stumbled and he would’ve hit the ground if Richie hadn’t grabbed him, forced to his knees with the momentum of Bill’s dead weight—he was out cold.

Richie knew it right away; the movement of them dropping was too sudden. It set the monster off, it lunged right for them.

Though, something happened that Richie wasn’t really entirely sure of—it was right there, jaw open wide, its teeth were too big and stained a faded red on the tips. Richie was sure of all of that.

But then there was _fire_. So close Richie had to turn away, the heat too much on his skin. But it hadn’t been aimed at him, and it didn’t come from the monster.

It came from _Bev._

Richie didn’t have time to question it; their monster wasn’t very fond of fire. Richie only got a small glimpse of the burnt spot on its muzzle—all singed fur and pink, irritated flesh now exposed underneath—before the monster let out the most unbearable screech Richie had ever heard and panicked.

It thrashed and turned hard, trying to retrace its steps out. It was too big and not nearly graceful enough at the moment—its hips took out an entire pillar as it swung around. Thankfully, it was a pillar in the corner farthest from them, because it collapsed without the slightest hesitation and that whole area caved in.

The chaos was dizzying—dirt, blood, heat, screams. There was too much going on, Richie couldn’t think straight. Not to mention Bill out cold in his arms, maybe even dead, he had no idea what was going on with him.

He felt hands fearfully gripping the back of his jacket. He knew who it was, he was too used to that grip to ever be mistaken. Once again, Eddie managed to clear his mind, quieted it down.

Thankfully, the monster finally began scrambling out of the entrance. Its limbs were long enough to pull it out quickly, and it had already splintered enough of the wood to squeeze through with little difficulty.

Richie probably should’ve been worried it would come back, but by the way it hightailed it out of there, Richie couldn’t imagine it would. At least not for now.

Slowly, the Losers quieted down, still no one moved. They were all still frozen, all of them sucking in desperate breaths like they’d never used their lungs a single day in their lives.

Of all people, it was Ben who spoke up first: "We should get out of here."

"And go where!?" Stanley suddenly snapped, looking terrified in a way Richie hadn’t seen in a long time. Not since they were kids.

Ben sort of shied away from the confrontation, looking too shaken to take any sort of stand. "No, I just mean out of _here._ I’m worried it’ll collapse."

It wasn’t the time, but a shocked laugh choked out of Stan—it still sounded terrified and strung out, but suddenly, everyone was able to move again. 

Getting out proved interesting now that their lovely guest had absolutely destroyed their ladder, but Mike managed to crawl out after they gave him a boost. They were thankfully able to wake Bill up. He looked dazed, but there was color in his face again, and he was able to get out with Mike pulling him while Richie boosted him.

Richie and Mike continued to assist everyone the same way. Once everyone was out, Mike pulled Richie up too. They all just laid in the dead leaves after that, exhausted. The sunlight streaming through the almost bare branches was welcome against their skin. It felt safe.

Richie had relaxed considerably, but he couldn’t shake that feeling inside him. It was cold, the sky was clear, yet he could still smell the electricity on the air like they should be expecting a storm.

Seeing as his body was apparently not going to relax anytime soon, Richie decided to stop trying: "So are we gonna talk about the freaking dandelion?"

"Dandelion?" Bev groaned in response, grimly anticipating the punch line. But there was a certain eagerness on the air—they needed one of his stupid jokes right now.

"Didn’t you see its mane? It was kinda like a flower. Get it? Dandelion?"

"You know what a dandelion is, right?" Stan asked after a moment.

"Of course he doesn’t," Eddie chimed in. His voice washed over Richie, warmer than the sunlight on his skin. The charge in the air suddenly lessened. "He doesn’t go outside, Stan. Look at him."

"You said it. Too busy spending time with Ms. K." Richie said, earning himself a chorus of exasperated groans.

It was quiet for a few minutes, then Richie spoke up again. "How ya doin’ Big Bill?"

"I’m okay." He said, sounding almost like his usual self.

No one asked further questions. No one asked what happened to Bill, no one asked what that was, where it came from. No one asked how Bev made fire at her fingertips, and no one else seemed to be feeling the same electricity pulsing along the surface of their skin. But for now, that was fine. For just a few minutes, that was fine.

They rested for a while.

Lying pressed up against each other in the leaves, the same leaves Dandelion had crushed under those massive paws just barely an hour and a half ago.

No one spoke, they just breathed. It felt like a privilege now.

They laid there until the sun didn’t reach their skin anymore. The moment it was gone, rest was the last thing on their minds. They’d soaked up all the energy they possibly could, and now they were ready to use it.

First things first, get out of the damn forest. Then it was time to start figuring out some answers.

It was Richie’s house they went to. It was the closest—Eddie’s was close too, but Ms. K was reason enough to avoid it. They’d already dealt with one monster today, there was only so much they could handle.

Richie’s parents were out which was an absolute _blessing._ Richie didn’t have it in him to try and explain why his entire friend group was at his house, covered in leaves and dirt, looking like they’d just crawled out of their own graves. 

Richie, Eddie, and Bev settled on his bed. Ben pulled over Richie’s desk chair, Stan leaned against the wall, and Bill sat on the floor in front of them. Mike joined him after he got Bill a wet rag to clean the blood off his face.

"I think we should talk about Bill first." Mike said after everyone had settled.

Everyone looked at Bill expectantly. Richie had anticipated him to look just as confused as the rest of them, but he wasn’t—he knew something. There was a grim resignation in his eyes as he avoided their glances.

"What happened?" Bev asked softly.

Bill hesitated, and Richie was absolutely dreading what he would say. But Mike didn’t look worried, he just smiled understandingly. "You don’t have to worry."

"Yeah, we’ll believe you," Stan added, and Richie wasn’t sure how they knew Bill was feeling that way, but he was glad they told him that.

Bill sighed, nodding a little bit. "Okay… Well, when I p-passed out, something kinda weird ha-happened."

Hearing him stutter like that was unnerving—it still wasn’t much, but he barely stuttered anymore at all now.

"Weirder than the _monster,_ Bill?" Eddie snapped, looking tense and anxious—and definitely annoyed with how long it was taking Bill to get to the point.

"Yes." Bill said confidently, making Eddie shrink.

Seeing at this point that nobody else had any interjections, Bill continued. "I knew the m-monster was coming because someone told me it was coming. S-Sort of. It’s hard to explain. It was like I felt someone trying to t-tell me, does that make sense?"

Everyone nodded, but Mike was the only one who looked like he _actually_ understood what Bill saying. 

"Well, after I passed out. I got to t-talk to that someone. And they were, uh… Not exactly what y-you’d expect."

"Was it, like, God?" Ben asked.

"No. Well, m-maybe, I’m not sure. If it was, then it’s n-not what we would imagine, that’s for sure." Bill answered, and Richie had to wonder how much of this Bill himself even understood. He looked a bit lost. 

"Why?" Bev pressed. "What did it look like?"

Bill looked sort of sheepish. "Um, a turtle."

"A turtle?" Richie repeated.

"Like a…" Bill motioned vaguely. "Like a b- _big_ turtle."

"A big turtle." Richie repeated once again. "You saw a big turtle?"

"See!" Bill exclaimed. "This is wh-what I mean!"

Richie put his hands up in surrender. "No, no! I didn’t say I didn’t believe you! It’s just… not something you hear every day."

"Yeah, well neither are alien clowns who eat children." Bev added. "Or giant lion monsters. Why are we even surprised?"

No one really had an answer, they all just exchanged empty glances with each other.

"Its name is Maturin." Bill added quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Oh it has a name, cool." Richie said, rubbing the side of his head, suddenly exhausted with this. "So what did Maturin have to say?"

"It was kind of hard to figure out what it was saying," he said, rubbing at his eyes like he had a headache. "But I know for s-sure that our Dandelion friend won’t be the last monster we see."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Stan asked, sounding breathless. They were all finding it difficult to breathe under the weight of the situation, and every time Bill spoke, it just got heavier and heavier.

"We killed Pennywise." Bill started, thinking very carefully about his words. "We really did. It’s gone."

Richie knew Bill was going to add something they wouldn’t like, but despite the situation, relief washed over him. No more wondering. No more waiting.

Everyone else seemed to have similar reactions. Eddie let out a breath of relief and rested his head on Richie’s shoulder. "Well at least that’s good news," he breathed quietly, and Richie just nodded, a bit too nervous to risk talking right now.

"But," Bill said after everyone had a chance to digest that first bit of news. "He left s-something behind." He paused for a moment, thoughtfully, before continuing. "Kind of like… a vacuum? It was a lot of power to just disappear all at once like that, and it left a p-power vacuum behind. It’s like a wound. And other things from other places are being dr-drawn here. They’re getting here through that wound."

"Other monsters, basically." Bev said.

Bill just nodded a bit solemnly.

Richie sighed heavily. "And because _we_ killed the damn clown, the cosmic turtle wants _us_ to clean up the mess that comes from that?"

"It’s more than that!" Bill said quickly, almost like he was at Maturin’s defense. "It’s not _just_ because we k-killed the clown. We were only able to kill him in the first place because we’re sp-special. We shine."

"Shine?" Eddie asked, shaking his head. "What does that mean?"

"We have a special c-connection to the world." Bill explained. "And we have some special ‘properties’ because of that. They’re waking up in us now. Like B-Bev’s fire." He looked around knowingly. "I know you guys have started to notice differences in yourselves too."

Richie nodded a bit, the pieces starting to fall together. "The energy. You guys feel that too?"

"Energy? No way, it feels cold." Ben said after a moment.

"What?" Bev asked, looking at him. "It’s heat."

"It’s all different." Bill said quickly before arguments could continue. "For all of us, it’s different."

No one said anything for a while. It was a lot to think about. And Richie would quite like some time to do that now.

"So… Basically…" Richie started slowly, making sure he had accumulated everyone’s attention before continuing. "We have super powers. And we’re monster hunters. Oh, and our God is a turtle."

Eddie was the first one to laugh, sounding almost startled about it at first. Of all people, Bill was next, and the others joined them soon enough. Sometimes Richie was funny just at the right time. Just when they needed it. 

After a moment, Bev stood, a smile stuck on her face. "I need to go home. I need to do some serious thinking."

Everyone agreed, which Richie was beyond thankful for. He loved them, but everyone needed to get out of his house so he could take a nap or something.

Regardless of that being said, when everyone said their goodbyes and left, Richie was not disappointed to find Eddie still standing in his room. "You should walk home with me."

"Spaghetti, you think I’m going to walk you home, then turn around and walk _back_ to my own house? Well then you thought right, let’s go."

Eddie laughed, and Richie forgot every bad thing that had happened so far that day.

Richie had been so relieved to hear that the clown was dead. Finally, they knew for sure, so they wouldn’t have to look over their shoulders all the time.

Except now, he was looking over his shoulder for _different_ monsters. Cool.

Eddie, on the other hand, didn’t look as bothered. "I’m not surprised, actually." He said after a few minutes. "Ya know, about all this. Shouldn’t this be surprising?"

"Well we’re special, Eds, remember?" Richie asked with a grin. "We’re shiny or whatever."

Eddie tried to fight back his laugh on that one—Richie was _killing_ it today. " _Shine._ Bill called it a Shine." He corrected halfheartedly. His smile faded after a few moments. "Do you think we were born with this?"

"Probably." Richie said with a nod. "I can’t imagine it’s random."

"Are you scared?" Eddie asked, glancing over at him.

"Probably." Richie admitted. "I haven’t noticed yet, though."

"Why’s that?"

"I think I need a nap to fully process this first." He admitted with a laugh. Plus, for right now at least, he was spending time with Eddie like nothing had ever happened. It was hard to worry about anything else.

Eddie sighed softly when his house came into view. "Well, I’ve gotta go pretend our whole world didn’t just change until my mom falls asleep and I can have some alone time."

"Good luck facing the toughest monster of them all," Richie said with a salute. "I’ll see you soon, I’m sure. We’ll be pretty busy now, I bet."

"Oh god," Eddie groaned, turning to leave.

"Wait," Richie said quickly, looking as serious as he could. "I have something to tell you."

Eddie hesitated. "Yeah?"

Richie winked. "I _told_ you we were going to spend our summer monster hunting."

"Oh my god, shut up, Richie." Eddie said with a roll of his eyes, but it was spoken too fondly. Sometimes Eddie slipped up like that.

Richie waved as Eddie hurried inside, then turned and started back to his own house.

There were a lot of things he needed to think about, but at least for the walk home, just for now, maybe he’d just think about Eddie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	3. With Truth Like Poison in Their Veins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th! As usual, we're so grateful for all the support and love.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Eddie had thought he was taking the news pretty well.

Because despite how stupid Richie put it, he was kind of right—they had powers, and were apparently going to be killing monsters. No big deal. They’d done it without powers, how much harder could it be?

Well, then he started _actually_ thinking about how much harder it could be.

There were more of them, they seemed to be more outwardly aggressive, and now the Losers had to figure out their powers—because they had _powers,_ which was stressful enough.

So maybe now Eddie wasn’t taking it quite as well.

He must’ve laid awake for hours that night, staring up at his ceiling. He’d stare until the darkness started swimming; disjointed faces and teeth surfacing above him—then he’d shut his eyes for a while and just try to focus on sleeping. He knew it was just his imagination. He knew he was just paranoid. Regardless, sleep didn’t come for a long time.

He dreamt, though, eventually. Cracked asphalt, endless roads—and of all things, the Neibolt house.

He woke up expecting to feel shaken, like when you wake from a particularly bad dream, but he felt kind of good actually. He didn’t have an explanation for it but he also wasn’t complaining.

He walked to the bathroom, feeling oddly well rested despite the lack of sleep. He paused when he caught his reflection. _Do I have one?_ He wondered, searching all over his own face, like he might find it there. _A “super power”._ A fond smile found his face as he thought about Richie’s stupid name for it.

For now, Eddie just abandoned the search. He probably wouldn’t find what he was looking for in a mirror.

After breakfast, his mom went into town to run some errands. Thankfully, she didn’t beg him to come along.

Eddie just laid on the couch—the TV was on and playing reruns of one of his mom’s shows, but it might as well have just been static. Eddie felt so out of place in his own house, and he couldn’t place why.

He was worried about the Losers, maybe. Or maybe he just missed them. He hadn’t heard from any of them yet, though he assumed they were probably doing exactly what he was doing—attempting to figure something out.

Eddie almost dozed off after a while until the phone rang; he scrambled to it, not a trace of drowsiness left on him. He was dreading to hear bad news.

"Eds?"

" _Eddie_." He corrected, a small grin tempting his lips as he waited for whatever stupid retaliation Richie had this time.

"Eds, can I come over?"

Eddie frowned. There was an urgency in Richie’s voice that made him nervous. "What’s wrong?"

"I need coffee," Richie whined on the other end. "My fucking coffee machine _broke._ I barely slept, please, Eds I’m _dying._ "

Eddie groaned, rolling his eyes, but he couldn’t deny the relief that washed over him. "I really hate you sometimes."

"Why? Were you worried?"

Eddie couldn’t even see his grin and he already wanted to smack it off.

"I’m starting the coffee, whether you come and drink some doesn’t matter to me." Eddie snapped before hanging up.

Still, he made a quick detour to the front door to unlock it for him.

Eddie was waiting for the last few seconds left on the coffee maker when he glanced at the door. A second or two later, it opened, Richie dragging his feet inside.

Eddie focused his attention back on the coffee. He must’ve known Richie’s timing better than he thought. 

"I smell coffee, thank _God._ "

Richie came rushing in and hopped up on the counter, smelling of something strong and _almost_ good.

Eddie took one look at him and winced involuntarily—he looked awful. 

Richie grinned. "Thanks."

"Sorry, but you look really bad," Eddie said with a little laugh, a bit sympathetic. "You didn’t sleep at all, did you?"

"A few hours." Richie said with a groan. "Not enough."

Eddie nodded in understanding, even though he felt well rested somehow. "You also smell like way too much cheap cologne." Eddie added with a grimace, it was sort of overwhelming.

"What? I’m not even wearing any today," Richie mumbled, sniffing that horrible jacket of his.

Eddie just shrugged; he didn’t care that much. He was about to turn to get the mugs when he noticed the newest addition to the Trash Jacket.

"Is that…?"

Richie opened up his jacket, smiling. "Yes." He said proudly. "I cut up one of my old Hawaiian shirts and lined the inside of it. Cool, huh?"

"No." Eddie deadpanned, but he had to admit, it was very _Richie._ Which was more charming than he cared to admit.

It wasn’t until Eddie had already poured the coffee and was handing it over to Richie that he noticed all the band-aids on his fingers. He just rose an eyebrow.

Richie smiled sheepishly as he accepted the mug. "Sewing’s hard."

They didn’t move for some time, just sipped on their coffee. Richie really did act like he was about to die without it, Eddie had never seen him completely shut up just to drink coffee.

"How the hell did you even break your coffee machine?" Eddie asked after Richie slowed down a bit.

"Beats me." Richie groaned. "I think my old ass house is turning on me. The outlet shorted out when I plugged it in, killed the poor little machine."

Eddie couldn’t help but snicker at Richie’s luck. Richie grinned and kicked him lightly.

Richie finished his cup way before Eddie, so Eddie gave him the rest of his. It’s not like he really needed it anyway.

The phone rang again and Eddie rushed to it. "Hello?"

"Hey, c-can you meet up today?" it was Bill. He sounded tired, like he’d just woken up. It wouldn’t surprise Eddie if Bill was the only one who had actually gotten decent sleep.

"Sure, no problem. When?"

"Soon as possible, w-we’re at my house. I can’t get ahold of R-Richie." He said, sounding a bit stressed out.

Eddie laughed softly. "He’s here."

Eddie could distinctly hear Mike’s "I told you" in the background, followed by Bill’s laughter. It made the tips of his ears burn. He spared a glance back at Richie, as if he might’ve heard. Richie was already looking at him and they both turned away quickly. "Shut up." He grumbled into the phone.

"I didn’t s-s-say anything," Bill said as nonchalantly as he could, but Eddie could practically hear the grin on his face. "See ya soon?"

"Whatever." Eddie huffed as he hung up the phone. "Everyone’s meeting up at Bill’s."

"If he doesn’t have snacks, I’m going home." Richie said as he hopped off the counter and headed towards the door.

Eddie followed with only a roll of his eyes and a small smile on his face.

"What in G-God’s name is that?"

Richie looked so offended, following Bill’s gaze to the inside of his jacket. "Shut up Bill, it’s fashion."

"It’s something," Bill muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the doorway so they could get in.

"I know," Eddie mouthed to Bill as he walked in.

Everyone else was there already, sitting around Bill’s room, waiting. There was indeed snacks splayed out on Bill’s bed, and Richie didn’t hesitate to get into them.

"So, uh… H-How’s everyone doing?" Bill asked once everyone had settled.

"Real official," Richie said through a mouthful of chips. "I can tell you put a lot of thought into this meeting."

"So I see Richie’s fine." Stan said pointedly.

"What about you, Marsh?" Richie asked, having the decency to wait before shoving more food in his mouth. "You’re the only one who’s really… done something, besides Bill, I guess.”

"Well I tried making fire again, but I can’t." she said, sounding defeated. "I don’t really understand it."

Ben nodded in agreement. "I don’t really know what I’m doing either."

"Me neither," Stan and Richie said in unison.

Bill looked at Mike, who shook his head. Then at Eddie, who also shook his head.

Bill screwed his eyes shut, focusing hard. "I think I know what Sh-Shines you guys have, and I think M-Maturin tries to tell me stuff, b-but—" his focus broke and he sighed, looking worn out already. "It’s not really c-coming through."

"Maybe your brain just makes a shitty medium," Richie said with a grin. "Get yourself a crystal ball. Maybe a pack of a tarot cards."

Bill looked at him, wide eyed. "That’s not a bad idea."

"What?" Richie blanched.

"Yeah— _What?_ " Eddie repeated. "You know he’s fucking with you, right?"

"Yeah, but I think he’s onto s-something,” Bill muttered, nodding more to himself than anybody else. "Definitely. I’ve g-gotta go, we’ll talk later," he said quickly, rushing out.

"Well, who’s gonna go with him so he doesn’t get eaten by some monster?" Stan asked with a sigh, but Mike was already getting to his feet.

"I guess we’ll see you guys soon," Mike said with a wave, slipping out the door. 

Richie watched them go. "This is _Bill’s_ house, what’re we gonna do now?"

"Should we talk anyway?" Beverly asked after a moment, but she didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, "Has anyone seen another monster?"

Everyone shook their heads, thankfully.

"You think they’ll come after us once we learn to use our powers?" Ben asked after a moment.

"Maybe." Stan said with a shrug. "I suppose it’s better than not knowing who they’re bothering."

"Speaking of them, what’re we gonna call ‘em?" Richie piped up, once again derailing the somewhat important conversation.

"Call what? The monsters?" Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is ‘monster’ not good enough?"

"Of course it’s not good enough, haven’t you ever seen a movie? They need a special name. Plus, what if we need to talk about them in public? Can’t have someone overhearing us talking about ‘monsters’, now can we?"

Beverly laughed. "Jesus, Richie, have you put some thought into this?"

"Some." He admitted, moving on quickly. "Our first genius name was ‘It’, let’s see how we can step this up. What’re we gonna name them?"

Eddie grinned. "We could always stick with a theme and name ‘em ‘Them’."

Everyone laughed, but Richie’s eyes had completely lit up. "Eddie Kaspbrak, you’re a genius!"

"No, no, I was kidding—"

"No, that’s perfect! It’s vague and ominous," Richie said enthusiastically. " _Them_. I like it."

Beverly smirked. "Vague and ominous? You do know this isn’t _actually_ a movie, right?"

"Tell that to my superpowers, Marsh."

Eddie and Ben couldn’t help but laugh. Stan snorted. "Fine. ‘Them’ works, I guess. I’m sure Bill and Mike will love to hear that."

"They will." Richie said smugly, falling back lazily on Bill’s bed. "If he doesn’t come back with a crystal ball, I’m going to be pissed."

"I’m pissed."

Bill rolled his eyes. "I’m not going to c-carry around a crystal b-ball all the time, Richie."

Bill and Mike had been gone for well over an hour, just long enough for everyone to start worrying, but they came back just before they were considering going and looking for them.

And all they had to show for all that time away was one deck of cards that Bill was waving around proudly.

"That’s it?" Ben asked, as sweetly as he could manage, but he sounded just as lost as the rest of them. 

"It took him forever to pick one out." Mike said, sitting on the floor with a grunt. "There were only ten decks and they were all the same, but we stood there forever."

"Technically y- _you_ picked it out. The lady at the store said s-s-someone else had to get it for me. I just influenced your d-decision." Bill said stubbornly, pushing everything off his desk and pulling it into the center of the room.

"And by ‘influence’, he means _he_ picked it out, and just said _I_ picked it out."

"I was just doing what the l-lady at the store said! Plus, I needed the ones that f-felt right."

Mike grinned, lowering his voice. "The lady at the store also told us she could read our futures just by the energies we gave off. ‘Said Bill was going to experience ‘devastating heartbreak’," he said mockingly. 

"Yeah well Bill’s gotta date someone before they can dump his sorry ass, so I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that for a while." Richie said with a grin, pulling up an extra chair to the other side of the desk. "Me first."

Bill had only just gotten his deck open. "Alright, give me a s-second." He looked a bit sheepish. "W-what if this d-doesn’t work?"

"Then we’ll figure something else out." Beverly assured sweetly. "Don’t worry about it, just try your best."

"Yeah Big Bill, no one expects anything of you anyway," Richie said, reaching over and giving Bill’s shoulder a squeeze. There was actually a surprising amount of sincerity in it.

Bill laughed. "Okay, okay." He muttered, setting his deck on the table and beginning to cut it and rearrange it.

"You know what you’re doing?" Eddie asked, kneeling on the floor beside Richie so he could watch Bill at work. It was sort of fascinating.

"Sort of." Bill said quietly. "She gave me the b-basics."

There was a manual left abandoned in the box his deck came in, but he didn’t even glance in its direction. He moved the cards around so naturally, like he’d done it a million times, and all he was doing was _shuffling._

And considering how awful Bill was at every aspect of card games anytime they played, this made a certain surprised hush fall over the room.

When Bill finished shuffling the deck, he fanned out all the cards in front of him with the slightest drag of his wrist, once again moving uncharacteristically fluidly. Eddie glanced at him and had to do a double take—his pupils had dilated considerably; his irises only a slight ring of color around the expanding darkness.

Eddie nudged Richie, who just nodded—he’d already noticed.

"Do you know how to do the formations and stuff?" Ben asked cautiously, like he might break Bill out of his trance.

"I don’t need one, not for this." Bill answered simply, sliding a card forward in front of Richie. His hand paused over it for a minute before he flipped it over.

Richie craned his neck forward, reading it aloud. "The Fool? Seriously?"

Everyone burst into laughter. "I’m convinced—all skepticism gone," Eddie laughed hysterically. "This stuff’s the real deal."

"Yeah, really funny," Richie grinned, elbowing Eddie. "Trash the Trashmouth, whatever."

Eddie was desperately trying to catch his breath when he noticed Bill wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t doing anything, he just had his fingertips pressed against the card, his eyes completely out of focus.

Eddie shifted anxiously, his smile falling quickly. "You good, Bill?"

Everyone else grew quiet when they noticed. Bill blinked after a few seconds, pulling his hand away from the card, looking at Richie. He looked surprised, but he looked like himself again. “Woah.”

"What happened?" Richie asked, looking sort of worried—whether he was worried about Bill or the card, Eddie wasn’t entirely sure.

"Your Shine." Bill said, pulling a half smile. "I know w-what it is."

The reaction was immediate; everyone was on their feet, exclaiming either in disbelief or excitement, crowding around the desk.

“Shut up!” Eddie shouted. And once everyone did, he turned back to Bill. “What is it?!”

“It’s k-kind of like… energy.” Bill said thoughtfully.

“Like electricity?” Richie asked hesitantly.

The moment he did, something changed. That smell Eddie noticed earlier wasn’t coming from Richie, it was coming from his Shine. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he just did.

Stan groaned from behind them, grimacing at Richie. “It’s loud. I can hear it.”

“Yeah, you’re s-sort of overwhelming,” Bill said, sliding Richie’s card back into the deck. “It’s really concentrated. You sort of d-disrupt the air around you. On the bright side, we’ll always be able to sense you from a m-mile away.”

“What, did you like, awaken my superpower?” Richie asked, looking a bit frazzled actually.

“I guess so.” Bill said with a shrug.

“So, what, I’m just a constant attack on the senses or something?” Richie asked, almost pouting. He was playing it cool, but Eddie could see he did actually look a bit genuinely upset.

“Rich.” Eddie said as sincerely as he could, resting a hand on his leg. “You’ve always been an attack on the senses. This is nothing new.”

Richie couldn’t help the smile on his face, shaking his head. “Thanks. You’re still gonna hang around me even if I smell like cheap cologne, huh?"

"Hasn’t kept me away so far, has it?"

“Mean!” Richie said with a laugh.

“I don’t feel anything from him.” Ben said after a moment. Beverley nodded in agreement.

Bill briefly shuffled his deck again, then motioned to the other side of the table.

"Well, there’s only o-one way to find out why."

Bill was exhausted.

There were no bloody noses or losing consciousness this time, but the moment he finished giving everyone their readings, he crawled right into bed as if none of them were there and fell asleep right away.

Regardless, Bill was handling his Shine better. He was getting stronger.

As for everyone else, no one minded that Bill was apparently just going to take a nap, because everyone was sort of stunned at all the new information.

And they all definitely felt different. It was like each time Bill described their Shines; they just woke up—like he was removing some seal one Loser at a time.

Turned out, Ben and Beverly couldn’t sense the other Losers’ Shines because their Shines were completely physical, nothing mental like the others. They could manipulate temperature—Ben made things colder, Beverly made things hotter.

Beverly tried to make fire again, but she couldn’t. She still wasn’t entirely sure how she did it the first time, it was too much of a blur. But Eddie assumed her manipulation of temperature had to be pretty strong and complex if she could make fire at all in the first place.

Quite appropriately though, Ben’s card was the Moon and Beverly’s was the Sun.

Theirs were the only two that were completely physical. Mike was a complete empath—not only could he feel others’ emotions to a particularly heightened degree, but he could also feel past memories and feelings of certain people in places they came into contact with. His card was The Tower.

The card Bill pulled for Stan was the Temperance card. And according to Bill, Stan could influence weak or distracted minds, as well as sense, and potentially read, some thoughts and memories. He also had a keen sense for recognizing other Shines, which is why he could “hear” Richie.

Eddie’s card was The Chariot. He honestly had no idea what any of these cards meant, but he’d by lying if he said he didn’t feel a connection to it when Bill pulled it from the deck. When Bill told him he was a navigator, Eddie weirdly wasn’t surprised. It felt right. He _was_ surprised to hear he also could “promote growth”.

He didn’t really know what that meant either, or how to do it. No one understood any of their Shines. They trusted Bill, but most of the stuff he said they _could_ do, they didn’t know how. He supposed it would take time.

Richie and Eddie were sitting against the wall, watching Bill sleep. The others were scattered quietly about the room, talking softly and thinking.

“Chariot, huh.” Richie said thoughtfully, a small grin on his face. “So if you’re our navigator, it makes sense that you’re our chariot.”

“And you’re stupid, so it makes sense that you’re that The Fool.” Eddie said with a nod, a smile finding his face despite his best efforts. “Seems like Bill’s pretty accurate.”

“I’m never going to live this down.”

“Never.”

“I’m disappointed, though. Energy? This is the lamest superpower ever. I was hoping for laser eyes or something.” Richie whispered after a minute or two.

Eddie rolled his eyes, the smile never leaving his face. “It’s your own fault for deciding we had superpowers in the first place.”

“I suppose you’re right, Spaghetti.” He nudged Eddie softly. “Should we start going home or what? I don’t think Sleeping Beauty is going to be up anytime soon.”

Eddie nodded. “Probably.”

When they stood up to leave, everyone started doing the same, being as quiet as possible. They didn’t make a sound as they reached the door, but the moment Richie put his hand on it, Bill shot up.

He looked disoriented and like he wasn’t entirely awake yet. “Neibolt.”

Something churned deep in Eddie’s stomach. “What about it?”

“That’s where we need to be,” he muttered, rubbing at his eyes.

“Like right now?” Stan asked.

“No,” Bill shook his head. “Like forever. We need to live there.”

“Bill, you’ve gotta be out of your mind.” Richie said, bewildered. “Pennywise’s old place? Seriously? What’re we gonna do, just crash in the sewers?”

“We just need to be there.” Bill snapped, more awake now. “I d-don’t know why, alright? I just know what I’m told.”

“Yeah, in your dreams, by the space turtle?”

“Richie, shut up.” Eddie said sharply.

“Eds,” Richie huffed, exasperated. “You’re not really going with this, are you?”

Eddie shrugged. “I think he’s right. I had a dream about the place last night, it was weird. And we trusted him just fine a few minutes ago, why would he suddenly have unreliable information?”

“Uh, I don’t know, because he was _dreaming_? I’m not moving into that nightmare house because of a dream.” Richie said adamantly.

Beverly bit at her lip thoughtfully. “… I think I need something more solid, too.” She said, sounding almost apologetic.

Ben nodded. “I just don’t think I can go back there without needing to, guys.”

Mike didn’t say anything, he just looked deeply lost in thought, which Eddie supposed probably wasn’t a good sign.

Stan didn’t look particularly happy about it either, but he just nodded. “I definitely feel something, but I don’t know what…” he hesitantly looked between Eddie and Bill. “I’m not sure, guys.”

Eddie shook his head. “Fine, whatever. But if we’re meant to end up there, we’re going to end up there. You can’t fight it if we get proof, deal?” He snapped, looking over at Richie particularly.

Richie’s jaw clenched like he was trying to find an argument, but in the end, he just sighed. “Jesus Christ.” The defeat in his voice was evident enough—he’d complain, but ultimately, he’d go with it if he needed to.

Bill looked a bit stressed. Eddie surprisingly wasn’t worried—he wasn’t sure why, but he was positive this would work out however it was supposed to.

“We are g-gonna end up there…” Bill muttered somewhat defiantly, though he definitely didn’t sound as confident now.

“Okay, fine, let’s entertain the thought that we do end up there. What would we even do? It’s not like we can just afford to buy the place.” Beverly chimed in.

“Buy it? That thing’s abandoned as all hell. No one cares what happens to it.” Richie said, sinking his hands in his pockets. “Except us, apparently.”

“We would fix it up.” Mike said with a shrug, finally speaking up for the first time. His eyes were on Bill, and it was obvious he was trying to sound as optimistic as possible for his sake.

“Yeah, I mean, the structure seems sound at least.” Ben said after a moment, clearly just desperate to get the conversation to end sooner. “It would just need some work.”

“Cool, we’ve made an unnecessary, theoretical plan. Glad we all _actually_ entertained the thought.” Richie said with mock enthusiasm, which not even _he_ could hold for long. “I need a smoke. Got any on you, Bev?”

“Forgot ‘em.” She said regrettably, looking like she needed one herself.

“I’m gonna go get some, who’s coming with me?” Richie asked, not pausing in the doorway as he headed out.

Everyone trailed behind him, even Bill, who still looked a bit drowsy.

When they wandered outside, all Eddie could think about was his “navigation”. He could feel it even now, the slightest nudge in certain directions.

_Well, if practice is what it takes…_

He stopped short behind the others, and Richie noticed immediately, turning to him. “What’s going on, Eds? You comin’?”

The way Richie noticed his absence so fast made him almost not want to leave at all.

“Actually, I think I need to go do something real quick. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” He said, managing to keep his resolve up.

Richie looked disappointed, maybe even genuinely so, but he quickly pulled a dramatic pouting face. “Awe, fine. Find us when you’re done. Or should I say, _navigate_ to us.”

Eddie wished he could’ve stopped the grin on his face. “God, shut up Richie.”

Richie winked and continued on his way, the others waving as they followed him. Once they were out of sight, Eddie took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

If he was the navigator, he should be able to navigate home at least.

So, without thinking about his steps or trying to remember his surroundings, he just started walking. The more he focused on that tug, the easier he found it to block out everything else. It was almost like autopilot.

Eddie bit his lip to hold back an excited smile. He felt kind of stupid for being this giddy about it, but there was something so exhilarating about actually using his Shine—there was definitely a rush of terror accompanied with it though. Suddenly this was all very real.

But in this moment, it was nothing more than thrilling.

He walked for a while, and when he finally stopped, he didn’t waste a second in opening his eyes.

His smile fell after he did though. This wasn’t his house.

He just stood there, staring down the decrepit excuse for a building as if he was in a stand-off. Neibolt loomed over him, almost like it was mocking him. Even worse, Eddie definitely felt like he was at home—this felt no different than every day he’d come home after school over the past years. 

Eddie sighed, shoulders sagging. “Alright, I get it. You win. You’re ‘home’.” 

Eddie supposed he should go find the others and let them know what happened. Bill would probably be relieved to know he was right. Plus, Eddie couldn’t help but oddly feel like a sore loser standing in there in front of Neibolt. The less time he was there, the better. He turned on his heels and began lazily making his way back. Needless to say, he didn’t have the same enthusiasm now.

The wind lightly rustled the leaves along the pavement, tossing Eddie’s hair softly. It was nice, until a smell hit him, carried to him by the wind.

He threw a hand over his mouth and nose, but it didn’t go away. It wasn’t his physical senses that were picking up this scent—it was like when he was around Richie.

But it didn’t smell like cheap cologne. It smelled like _rot_.

He looked around; he couldn’t seem to find anything, which just unnerved him more. He started to rush back to the Losers, but found he couldn’t make it more than three steps.

He had _no_ idea where he was.

He was on the same street, he’d barely moved, but he was suddenly so disoriented. His mind spun trying to figure out how he’d ended up here, and how to get out of here. Every step he took was unstable and felt too steep, like even the earth beneath his feet was just as confused as he was.

"Just keep going." 

Eddie did the exact opposite, he froze. The world continued to warp and tilt around him, but he was determined to stay anchored to that spot.

That wasn’t his voice that whispered to him. It came from behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	4. Placed on the Path They've Paved for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Hope everyone's staying safe and healthy, I love you all. Please enjoy the d r a m a of this chapter <3

"This is exhausting."

"Hmm?" Richie hummed as he took a slow drag, glancing over at her. She looked like she was somewhere else.

"All of this, ya know." Bev said after a moment. "It’s exhausting. I thought we were done."

"Me too." Richie sighed, smoke following his words out.

Apparently she didn’t have anything else to say, because things fell silent. They were just standing against the wall outside the store, waiting for the others. Stan and Ben were getting snacks for everyone, meanwhile Bill was trying to buy three bottles of chocolate milk, all for himself—Mike was desperately trying to talk him down to two.

Richie’s chest twisted—it was unfair. It was unfair that all this was threatened once again. He would do anything to just enjoy a normal life with his friends.

 _Anything._ He thought, amused. _Like kill monsters, I guess._

Speaking of monsters, he was starting to get tired of not having Eddie there. 

Ben and Stan came out first, a bag of carefully picked snacks in Stan’s hand. Mike and Bill came out next; Bill was already drinking one of the three bottles of his chocolate milk.

"When he gets sick, we’re leaving him." Richie said, tossing his cigarette on the ground and stepping on it. "Now let’s go find my favorite little monster."

They only took two steps before Bill suddenly choked, dropping the bottle. Richie busted out laughing. "Bill, what the hell, you can’t even drink your damn chocolate milk—" he stopped short when he saw that Bill didn’t look so amused.

He looked like someone had just smacked him in the face as he frantically looked around. Mike suddenly looked ill.

"What’s going on?" Stan asked, looking a bit on-edge himself.

"There’s one here somewhere," Bill said quietly, looking at Mike.

"I think we should find Eddie," Mike choked out.

Richie’s heart went still in his chest, threatening to drop like a stone. "Let’s hurry," he said, already rushing away before he’d even gotten the words out. "Any of you know where he is?"

"He’s the navigator," Ben said regretfully.

"I think I can find him," Mike said quietly, "I can feel his distress."

Richie felt his heart finally plummet into his stomach. "Well can you pinpoint him with that?" he asked, the weight in his stomach making him feel sick.

"Not exactly, but we’ll get close."

"Can’t you feel memories or whatever?" Stan asked, his voice coming out shrill.

Mike hesitated. "I don’t know if I can do it yet."

"You can," Bill assured, not the slightest hint of doubt in his eyes. "When we get c-closer, try it. You can do it."

Mike didn’t say anything, but he looked straight ahead, which Richie supposed was as good a sign as any.

Once they had gotten to the point where Mike could feel Eddie more and more, he suddenly stopped. "Okay," he said, squeezing his eyes shut, "Okay, let me try. Everyone just be quiet for a second."

Richie bounced on his heels impatiently. Every little second felt like an _hour._ And they were adding up quick. All Richie could think about was that Eddie was _so_ distressed, Mike had felt it despite the distance between them, and once again Richie was sure he’d throw up.

Realistically, it had probably only been maybe one full minute, but Richie was just about to speak up when Mike opened his eyes. "Okay."

"Okay?" Bev asked. "Okay what?!"

"H-He’s got it." Bill said confidently.

"I do," Mike said, and maybe if the situation had been different, he would’ve smiled. For now though, he just took a breath and stared straight down at the asphalt as he walked. He was going as quickly as he could without losing his concentration.

"Guys, shouldn’t we be worried about what we’re going to find?" Ben asked hesitantly as he walked. "What if it’s not as easy as the first one?"

"Who cares?" Richie snapped; a bit harsher than he meant to. "We focus on finding Eddie, and we deal with whatever else."

No one else said anything after that.

Every step Mike took, he got stronger—each step was more confident than the last, and his pace only grew. They all realized where they were headed pretty quickly, and not one of them was happy about it.

The moment the house came into view, so did Eddie, and Richie hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until he saw him.

Richie was also almost entirely positive he saw something else—a shadow behind him, but it was gone as soon as Richie noticed it. He definitely should’ve been more concerned, but there was only one thing on his mind at the moment. And that one thing was stumbling around like a drunk in the middle of the street.

"Eds!" Richie called, surprised at the franticness in his voice. He didn’t slow down as he reached him, crashing into him and pulling him into his arms. "Oh thank God," he breathed against the top of Eddie’s head.

The others were there in seconds, all throwing their arms around him and muttering various curses of relief.

Eddie stumbled slightly in his arms, but didn’t fall—Richie wouldn’t let him. "Rich? Guys?" he muttered, balling Richie’s jacket in his hands in some hope of stabilizing himself. "God I hate this fucking jacket."

Richie barked out a surprised laugh. "Would you shut up, you asshole? We were worried sick."

"Yeah, are you okay?!" Ben asked, pulling away from the hug to look at Eddie.

Everyone else pulled away too, except Eddie. He stood there, still clinging onto Richie. Richie had to remind himself it was for balance; he was clearly disoriented. But he’d be lying if he said his ears weren’t burning.

"I’m okay," he assured, already sounding more like himself.

"What the hell happened?" Stan asked, looking around—that look on his face suggested that maybe he saw what Richie had seen too.

"I don’t know," Eddie murmured, shaking his head. "I was just practicing the whole navigation thing and then… I’m not sure."

"Well you’re okay, that’s what matters." Bev said with a small smile, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Yeah, let’s get out of here." Ben said quickly.

"No." Bill said after a moment, his eyes distant. "It’s still h-here."

_You should let him go._

Richie snapped his head around frantically. He couldn’t tell where it had come from, and no one else seemed to even notice.

_You’ve been holding onto him too long. He’ll figure it out._

"Do you guys hear that?" he whispered.

"No. Do you hear something?" Mike asked, but he clearly could already tell something was going on with Richie; he mirrored his fear and confusion—he _felt_ it.

"Richie?" Eddie asked worriedly. "What do you hear?"

_What’ll you do when he finds out? He probably already knows. You shouldn’t touch him._

Richie let Eddie go like he’d been caught doing something wrong and took a step back, trying to look around everywhere at once. "Shut up," he muttered, fear spiking in his chest.

"Richie?" Eddie asked, more adamant now.

When Richie looked at him again, he was too far away. All of them were. Yet he knew if he reached out, he could still touch him. His head ached the more he looked at them; the more the space between them stretched and warped.

He looked to the ground as he went to take a step forward, but the ground beneath him dipped and sunk. He’d fall in.

"Richie!" Eddie shouted, stealing his attention back. He reached out over the impossible distance—

_Don’t touch him._

Richie pulled his arm away before he could grab it. But Eddie wasn’t having it. He reached out again, this time grabbing Richie’s wrist before he could pull away. "Richie!"

Everything snapped back; the earth came rushing back under his feet and suddenly the Losers were right here. The stillness was abrupt and like running into a wall, but he was grateful to have it back. "Jesus Christ," he muttered.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Richie said with a small, humorless laugh. "That sucked. A lot. I thought—"

"You guys," Bev whispered fearfully, her eyes locked on something down the street. "What is that thing?"

Richie almost didn’t want to look. But he did as the others did; he slowly turned to follow her gaze.

And Richie thought _Dandelion_ was scary.

This one was humanoid, but not enough. Twisted, dark horns from its head like a ram; its skin looked dead, its face was too flat. Its legs were like a goats’, and its eyes were nothing but black. A long beard hung off its face, filled with something almost like bugs. But once again, not enough; some had too many legs, too little. Too big or too small. Not the right colors, not the right shapes.

Looking at it was like trying to put together a puzzle with missing pieces. It made his head hurt.

"Bill," Richie said slowly, not taking his eyes off it, like that might hold it in place. "What do we do?"

Bill shook his head, thinking hard, screwing his eyes shut. "I can a-almost—" his eyes flew open. "The cards!" He yanked them out of his pocket, dropping to his knees and haphazardly beginning to place them about. "I think I-I-I can figure it out if I u-use the cards," Bill explained.

Richie watched Bill’s shaking fingers quickly align them into an actual, usable formation. "You better hurry up, I don’t think that thing is gonna wait—" he looked back to it. It was gone. "—much longer…"

"Bill!" Ben shrieked.

Bill’s fingers froze just as he was about to touch a card. It was standing right behind him, and Bill didn’t have to turn around to know it was there.

Everyone froze, every single one of them holding their breath. No one had to say a word, but not one of them would risk moving when it was that close to him.

"I see," it spoke, aloud this time. Its voice was just as brain splitting to try and figure out as the rest of it—it sounded like it was echoing in their heads, even as they watched its mouth move. "Your mind is special. You have all the answers." 

It moved like something ancient. Slow and calculated. It brought its hands down, placing one against either side of Bill’s head. Slowly, those endless eyes swept across each one of the Losers, something like a smile on its face.

"But I bet it’ll still squish like a grape, don’t you think?"

"Hey!" Mike shouted, hurling one impressive-sized rock right at its head, chipping off a piece of its horn. It shrieked something _horrible_ before it disappeared into thin air, just like it had done before. But it wasn’t gone, even Richie knew that.

Richie gingerly touched his finger to his ringing ear. It was bleeding—so was everybody else’s.

"Well that was nostalgic," Richie said, a very noticeable tremor in his voice as he wiped the blood off on his pants. He was scared out of his mind. "Hitting bad guys with rocks is sort of our brand, huh?"

"Richie, not now," Eddie said sharply. "Are you alright, Bill?"

Mike was crouched at his side, but Bill barely paid either of them any mind. "I’m fine, I gotta h-hurry," he muttered, quickly grabbing a card. "Ace of Swords," he whispered, then his pupils dilated and he went completely silent.

"It’s like waiting for slow internet, huh?" Richie joked, sounding just as terrified as he was feeling, glancing over his shoulder constantly.

Everyone looked at him disapprovingly. He couldn’t help it, he was scared, he needed his shitty jokes.

After a few seconds, Bill’s eyes snapped back to normal and he dropped the card. "I know what we n-need to do."

Just as he said that, it reappeared, only twenty feet from them. It wasn’t smiling anymore.

"We’re gonna need that info real damn quick, Bill." Richie said, fighting the rising hysteria in his voice.

"It won’t be k-killed physically," he said, quickly getting to his feet. He looked at Stan. "All we n-need to do is get in its m-mind. Then it’s o-over."

Stan frantically glanced between Bill and the very angry monster man-thing staring them down. "Why are you looking at me?" he asked, shifting his weight anxiously between his heels. "I can’t do that, I barely know I’m doing, I—"

"You can do it." Eddie said firmly. "Just try. I just tried to navigate for the first time and it brought me here."

"And I followed Eddie’s memories here,” Mike added as comfortingly as he could. "You _can_ do it, Stanley."

"We can w-weaken it for him," Bill added, this time looking at Richie. "It can’t handle b-being confused. Ignorance w-weakens it."

Richie sputtered in shock. " _Why_ are you looking at _me_?!"

"You know damn well why he’s looking at you, Richie." Bev cut in, not a hint of amusement in her voice. "Now do what you do best and annoy it."

Richie shook his head, looking back at it. It turned its head to look right back at him, sending a cold shiver down his spine. "I don’t know, I don’t think—"

"Richie," Eddie said, softly, just between them. "You can do it. Just pretend it’s something else."

Richie stared at him for a moment, searching his eyes. He looked certain—certain in _Richie._ If Eddie thought he could do it, then he must be able to.

He glanced back at the thing standing there, waiting for him.

"Hey." Richie spoke, trying to keep his voice steady. This was just another person; nothing to be scared of. "Is all you can do mind games? That’s kinda lame. Like, we just fought a whole ass lion yesterday."

It growled from somewhere deep in its chest. "Do you know what you speak about, boy? Your mind is helpless to mine."

"Is it, though?" Richie asked, crossing his arms. "Cause sure, you made me a little dizzy, but did anything really happen to me?"

It took a step forward. "I could crush your head in my hands." It whispered, speaking out loud and in Richie’s mind at the same time.

"I don’t know about that either. We just threw a rock at you and your freaking horn broke. Honestly, what can you _actually_ do that we should be worried about?"

"I am _millions_ of years old." It grumbled, walking in that ancient stride towards Richie. _I have lived longer than your entire lineage ever will. Your mind is a toy to me._

The ground warped under him again; he almost stumbled just looking at it. So, he closed his eyes.

"Okay, boomer." He said with a grin. "You’re super old, good for you. Just proving my point."

It let out the most animalistic shriek Richie had ever heard; it sent shock waves across his skin. His eyes flashed open and all he saw was blackness—he was face-to-face with it, staring right into its eyes. It was bottomless, he’d drown. He _was_ drowning.

Suddenly, its eyes screwed shut and Richie remembered how to breathe, sucking in a desperate breath and falling back on his ass, eagerly crawling backwards—anything to get away from it.

It slowly brought shaking hands up to its head, snarling. " _You,_ " it growled, turning towards Stan.

Stan stood there, shaking all over; his pupils were barely there at all and every trace of color was gone from his skin. He was holding his breath, his chest occasionally spasming with the need to breathe, but he didn’t seem to notice.

"There’s no way you can get into my mind," it growled, taking a lurching step at him, but it was beginning to shake too.

"I can," Stan strained. And he did.

The moment he pierced its mind, it screamed—the ground underneath it cracked and everyone was knocked off their feet, right to the ground. Stan couldn’t hold it, but he didn’t need to, that was enough.

Its head began splitting right down the center, slow, like it was being peeled away. Its brain within was black, the same color and depth of its eyes. The monster was desperately trying to hold the splitting sides of its head together, but it didn’t matter. Its body was erupting in cracks like the surface of old asphalt. Pieces began to crumble off of it; they disappeared into dust as they hit the ground.

Its eyes turned back up to them one last time. _You could never be ready for what’s coming._

Then, thankfully, it fell away completely.

Bill gasped and grasped at his chest like he hadn’t been breathing at all this entire time. Mike scrambled to his hands and knees, crawling over to him. "Are you alright?!"

Everyone looked at him, terrified of what he would say—Richie didn’t know how much more he could take today. Bill panted for a moment before looking around, a hesitant smile finding his face. "We k-killed it."

Everyone let out some kind of sigh of relief. Richie laid back with a loud, dramatic sigh. "Oh my _god._ Never again, I never want to do this again."

Eddie took a moment to just breathe before smiling over at him. "Weren’t you the one suggesting monster hunting this summer?"

"Kaspbrak, shush. No one asked you."

Eddie laughed, and it was so warm and _safe,_ everything all at once suddenly felt okay again. Like the world had never been disturbed in the first place.

Stan was just lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. "I think I’m done with the monster hunting now," he said, tiredly, making everyone laugh. He smiled, but Richie was _pretty_ sure part of him wasn’t joking.

"Can we please go home?" Ben practically pleaded; a smile glued to his face.

"Home," Eddie said, looking at Neibolt. Richie was pretty sure he knew what he was going to say before he did. "Guys, I navigated ‘home’, and this is where it took me…"

The smiles fell from everyone’s faces as they turned to look at it—that house—all at the same time. Yet when Richie looked at it now, after all that, it didn’t feel like such a threat anymore.

"We have to." Richie said, sitting up. "We can’t be alone anymore; we could’ve lost Eddie. That thing took all of us to beat and we still just managed to stumble through that fight."

"He’s right," Bev sighed, glancing over at the house once again. "Home sweet home, I guess."

"Something like that," Stan grumbled.

"It won’t be so bad," Mike said optimistically. "We can fix it up. And we’ll all be together."

"Yeah, maybe we can turn it into less of a goddamn nightmare," Richie said with a grin. "I mean, if we took out Boomer, there’s literally no nightmare we can’t get rid of."

They laughed, and everyone took it upon themselves to rest in the middle of the road.

Eddie glanced over at Richie, letting out a breath. "Do you think we should be worried? About what it said; about us not being ready for what’s coming?"

"Nah," Richie said without missing a beat. "Sounded to me like an old man-thing’s last, stubborn ‘fuck you’ before getting his ass beat by us." He grinned. "I think we’re gonna kick plenty more ass." And yes, he was saying it to make Eddie feel better, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling pretty confident right now.

Eddie shook his head; small, delicate laughs floating out of him. He leaned over and rested his head on Richie’s shoulder. "That was exhausting."

Richie smiled, his chest stirring. He put his arm around him. "You’re so lucky we came to your rescue, Eduardo."

Eddie just rolled his eyes. "I could’ve done it without you losers."

Richie laughed, giving Eddie a slight squeeze, effectively pulling him in just a bit closer—just enough to make Richie’s head spin.

_"You’ve been holding onto him too long. He’ll figure it out."_

_Yeah, fuck that._ Call him crazy, but he decided not to let the decrepit-ass monster get into his head more than it already had. Boomers never knew what they were talking about, anyway.

So instead, he pinched at Eddie’s sides. "Yeah? Could’ve handled that all yourself, huh?"

Eddie laughed and elbowed him, so Richie just took threw himself back, taking them both down.

And maybe there was just something about wrestling in the middle of the street right outside the killer clown house that was about to become _their_ house, all while their friends completely and utterly ignored them; but Richie suddenly had the feeling that maybe this was all going to end just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	5. They Etched Their Names With Knives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, folks! 
> 
> Our timing was a little off this week, so the chapter cover this week is a special one. We hope you enjoy it, cause we certainly do. 
> 
> Anyway, please do enjoy the chapter. We love you guys :,)

So, it seemed they actually were going to live in that house.

 _Neibolt_ house.

It felt right—to Eddie, anyway. He understood now, what his dreams meant; he was supposed to be there. He knew that, but he still wasn’t completely thrilled by it or anything.

Eddie had definitely expected the others to complain more about it, but after the whole thing with “Boomer”, as Richie had named it, everyone seemed ready to all be in one place. Well, as ready as they could be. 

Eddie’s mom was _not_ happy to say the least.

She knew this would be coming. He just graduated, after all. But when was Sonia Kaspbrak ever known to be rational? And when she found out he would be moving in with his friends— _all_ of his friends—her head practically exploded. She spent what seemed like forever just going on and on about how she thought it was a bad idea. Eddie didn't hear a single word of it. 

Thankfully, she eventually calmed down enough to at least let him pack in peace.

And that peace lasted almost ten minutes.

Eddie could feel him coming even before Richie casually pushed open the cracked window, slipping inside without the slightest reservation. "Heya."

“You know you can use the door, right?” Eddie asked as he threw out some old stuff he’d probably never use again. “It’s not like you’re sneaking in past our bedtimes anymore.”

“Just feeling nostalgic, I guess,” Richie said as he sat beside him, grinning. “I blame the packing.”

Eddie softened. “Yeah, no kidding. I haven’t touched most of this stuff in years, it’s weird.” He mumbled, tossing out some old school papers he had scored well on and had insisted on keeping.

Nostalgia never sat well with Eddie. Some people loved it; craved it even. Though Eddie found it uncomfortable and awkward—essentially just a memory with sharp edges. Maybe it was soft in the middle, but there was too much sting accompanying it for Eddie to find the comfort.

Richie nudged him with his shoulder lightly. “How’re you feelin’? Ya know, after all that.”

“I’m fine.” Eddie assured. “I’m more nervous about what happens from here on out.” He admitted, glancing at him. “But also sort of excited.”

Richie smirked. “Excited to be a monster hunter? Eddie Kaspbrak, I _knew_ it—”

“No, you idiot!” Eddie laughed, elbowing him. “I meant moving in with everyone.” He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “And maybe a little bit for the ‘super powers’.”

“Naturally.” Richie said, digging around in the box Eddie had just neatly packed.

Eddie pulled it away from him, putting it on his other side. “So are Bill and Mike serious about just… moving in? Like, isn’t there issues with that?”

“Apparently not. There’s no owner, obviously. There’s some crazy law that basically says a squatter can take over or something. I don’t know, when Bill and Mike talk to me about nerd stuff, I only get half of it.”

Eddie smirked. “Nerd stuff? You mean _smart_ stuff?”

“Sure, same diff.” Richie said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I don't understand any of that crap."

"You were literally a straight A student--"

"Enough about the past, Spaghetti." Richie announced loudly as he casually began looking through some of Eddie’s old papers; throwing them out without even consulting Eddie first.

Oddly enough though, Eddie didn’t mind. This suddenly felt much easier.

It all happened so fast.

Three days ago, they made it official that they were moving in. Two days ago, Eddie started packing. Yesterday, he _finished_ packing.

And now, he and Richie were moving his boxes into Mike’s granddad's truck. They eagerly hurried out. Eddie skipped most of the front steps in one stride, meanwhile Richie hopped down each one, counting them as he went.

They had only just made it to the bottom of the steps when Eddie’s mom called for him, standing in the doorway. Teary-eyed and looking damn near heartbroken. “Eddie,” she whined.

Eddie and Richie briefly exchanged glances before Richie rushed off to the truck, letting them have a minute.

Eddie placed the box down and walked over to her. 

“You’ll come visit, won’t you?” she sniffled.

“Obviously. I’m just a few blocks away, you know that right?”

“Of course I do,” she said. “As long as you don’t disappear.”

Eddie rolled his eyes with a soft sigh as they hugged; it would’ve been more endearing if he wasn’t literally twenty minutes away.

Once that was over with, he rushed to catch up with the others. All his things were packed up and ready to go. He was ready, too.

The first part of the day was just spent moving everyone and their stuff. For some reason, it felt weird to go into the house if everyone wasn’t there, so they just unloaded boxes into the yard while they waited for everyone else.

“I never thought the first time I moved out, it would be into Neibolt.” Richie said, sitting on some boxes. “I was thinking maybe an apartment, maybe your mom’s house, but not here.”

Eddie grinned and rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Richie.” He said, glancing over at the house. It seemed to grow less intimidating the more he looked at it. Just an abandoned house that needed a little work.

“I think this might actually be fun, though.” He said after a moment or two. “Fixing it up with our friends, and all living together.”

Eddie smiled, his heart swelling a little bit. “Yeah, I think so too.”

It took quite some time, but eventually everyone was accounted for.

“Do you think we rushed this a little bit?” Bev asked as they all stepped inside, looking around. “We probably should’ve worked on fixing things up _before_ we moved in, don’t you think?”

“No,” Bill spoke up, “after what h-happened, I think it’s better if w-we’re together as much as possible.”

“We’ll make it work, guys.” Mike said optimistically, briefly running outside to grab the supplies he brought—brooms, mops, all kinds of cleaners. They were definitely going to need all of it.

Richie walked over to the steps and peered up them, groaning. “Why is this house so damn big? It’s so much to clean…” he whined.

“It’s big enough for all of us, that’s what matters.” Ben said, though the way he flinched when he brushed against one of the seemingly endless cobwebs suggested he wasn’t as confident about this as he was trying to seem.

“The damage seems pretty surface, at least,” Stan muttered, studying the walls and ceilings. “Lots of cobwebs and branches, but the house itself looks alright.”

“It looks like an actual nightmare.” Richie complained, running his hand along one of the walls, gagging at the amount of dirt and God-knows-what-else was left behind on his palm.

Mike started tossing everyone a broom. “C’mon guys, the more we complain, the less work we get done.”

Richie wiped his hand on his pants. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get this shit done.”

This was going to take way longer than they bargained for.

The first two hours was spent just knocking down cobwebs and branches that had managed to stretch in from the broken windows; and then sweeping everything out—just on the _first floor._

They weren’t even close to being finished with the first floor either. Between cleaning walls, mopping floors, and trying to clean the few windows that actually remained in tact on that floor, they still had a _lot_ of work to do.

Thankfully, they decided to take a break.

Bev experimentally turned the faucet on the sink, her facing lighting up when clean water actually came out. “Woah! There’s water here!?”

Bill and Mike exchanged glances. Richie grinned, looking between them. “Did you guys do something illegal?”

Bill sat at the table that was only partly cleaned. “W-We’re saving the town, so it’s okay. They owe us." 

Richie just laughed. “Oh god, I’m not even going to ask.” He just glanced over at Bev. “Join me outside?”

“For a smoke break?” Eddie asked in disgust.

“ _No._ ” Richie lied, pulling out his cigarettes as he did so.

Eddie couldn’t help the smirk on his face as he watched them rush outside. 

Mike eagerly pulled up a seat across from Bill. “Tell me my future,” he said with a grin, folding his hands patiently.

Bill laughed softly. “Okay,” he said, producing his cards from his pocket, and getting to work on shuffling and splitting the deck.

Eddie sat on the table beside Bill, watching him work. His eyes weren’t dilating this time; at least not enough to notice. This was probably the first time he looked like himself while doing a card reading. It put Eddie at ease.

Bill pulled three cards from the deck, lying them all face down. He pointed to the one on his left. “Okay, this one represents your p-past,” he explained, proceeding the flip it over.

The other side revealed the image of a person sitting up in bed, their face in their hands. There were swords in the background, and the Roman Numeral for nine at the top. As Bill read it, his eyes did look a little dilated now—but he wasn’t completely in his head like usual.

“The Nine of Swords,” he said, looking at Mike almost sadly. “It represents w-worry and fear.”

Mike just smiled at him softly. “I think if you read any of our pasts, that card would probably come up.”

Eddie let out a small laugh. “He’s got a point there.”

Bill just nodded. “This one’s for the present,” he said, grabbing the middle card and flipping it over. The card had a lot going on; most noticeably two people, and in big words at the bottom: The Lovers.

Both Mike and Bill looked almost startled at the card, and Eddie did his best to hold back a laugh. “Mike, you got feelings for someone?” he teased.

“It just m-means deep bond, b-built on respect and trust…” Bill muttered, almost defensively, but his face was red.

“I dunno, I think the word ‘lover’ means—”

“ _Anyway_ , onto y-your future,” Bill announced, eager to cut Eddie off. He flipped over the card, and his face immediately dropped.

“What is it?” Mike asked almost the instant his mood shifted.

“Uh, Ten of Swords,” he said, a smile quickly returning to his face. “Th-There’s lots of interpretations for it. B-Big changes.”

Mike looked a little unsure, but he smiled. “Oh, awesome,” he said, as warm as always. “More big changes than all this, huh? I’m scared,” he laughed.

Bill laughed with him, but the moment Mike stood up to get back to work, Bill’s eyes fell to the card.

Eddie frowned, scooting off the table and looking over Bill’s shoulder at the card. It didn’t look very positive. “That doesn’t look so good.”

Bill flinched, like he’d somehow forgotten Eddie was there. “It’s—”

Eddie lowered his voice: “What does it really mean?”

Bill shifted uncomfortably. He shook his head, quickly collecting all his cards back into the deck. “N-Nothing. Lots of things. Nothing to w-worry about,” but the way he rushed off the moment he could suggested otherwise.

Eddie watched him go; he wondered if it’d be worth confronting him about later, but he didn’t get a chance to wonder about it long before Richie returned to his side.

“’Sup Spaghetti.” He did a double take. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled a little. “Let’s just get back to work, huh?”

“Gross,” Richie groaned. “If we _must,_ ” he exclaimed dramatically, dragging his feet as childishly as he could.

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh, and there was nothing he could do but follow him.

The house really was huge.

The first floor had several rooms unto itself, the staircases were expansive, the halls were long and there seemed to be a room sprouting off every couple of steps.

Just sweeping and mopping took a day and a half by itself. Cleaning windows that were in tact, and boarding up those that were broken, was another several hours.

Things weren’t even close to being done, but it would be a work in progress. It was a clean house with boxes and mattresses in it now, but it definitely wasn’t a home yet. It was empty, it was still broken, and they still had to pick out their rooms—they had all just slept on the main room floor with some blankets and pillows the previous night.

But there was something else they needed to do first.

They all just stood, crowded around the steps that led into the basement. Mike had lots of boards tucked under each arm, while Bill clutched onto the hammer and nails like it would protect him. Stan frowned. “We’re not really going down there, right?”

“We just need to board up the well. It’ll make us all feel better,” Mike said, but the fear in his eyes was as much his as it was everyone else’s.

“It’s gone, what’re we all freaking out about?” Richie asked with that same, frantic laugh he got when he was pretending not to be scared.

“Lots of bad memories down there…” Ben muttered. “We sure we wanna do this?”

“It’s not like we’re going in the well,” Bev assured, grabbing Ben’s hand almost distractedly. Ben’s face went red; his anxieties were for an entirely different reason now.

“Yeah, it’s not too big of a deal,” Eddie said, “this is our home now. We know we’re not going to feel safe until that thing’s boarded up, so we just have to do it.”

“Okay, l-let’s go,” Bill said, starting down the steps.

It was a mess, of course. Just as untouched by anything other than bugs as the rest of the house had been. The basement was large too, thankfully not as big as any of the other rooms.

“Maybe we should clean this room up while Mike boards up the well?” Stan suggested. “Might make this place feel less… creepy and off-limits.”

Eddie couldn’t agree more—he’d be scared of this room more for the mess than anything else if they left it like this.

“I hope everyone knows that I am never touching another broom after this in my life,” Richie announced with a sigh as he went to go collect said brooms.

Mike and Bill got the well boarded up pretty quickly.

Well, mostly Mike. Bill just crouched at his side and handed him nails whenever he needed them.

The others got the cobweb and dirt situation under control fairly easily. Once that was done, Eddie was wandering around, seeing what he could find down there. If every corner was explored, then he wouldn’t be hung up on the possibility of something else being down there.

He didn’t find anything of interest, mostly. Though he did find a huge machine-looking thing tucked away into one of the farthest corners. “Hey guys, what is this thing?”

Mike walked over, wiping some sweat off his brow. He did a double take when he saw it. “Oh shit!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“What’s got you so fired up, Mikey?” Richie asked, walking over and leaning against Eddie.

“It’s a generator!” he said, a smile on his face. “A big one, too. Probably can power the whole house…”

“A generator?” Stan asked, crossing his arms. “So what, Pennywise was too cheap for real electricity?”

“Or maybe someone else had started fixing up the house before we got here.” Mike suggested.

“And left this thing? This giant, expensive thing? Why would they do that?”

“Well Stanley, there was a murder clown living here once,” Richie said regretfully.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

“Anyway, let’s not think about that,” Richie rushed, throwing his hands in the air. “Generator, yay!”

Mike brushed some dust off it, looking around it for awhile, before flipping a switch. There was nothing for a moment, then it whirled to life. Noisy and rumbling, but the small light in the basement came to life.

Everyone cheered and rushed out of the basement, eager to see the rest of the house. Indeed, the lights were on—not even the slightest flicker.

“I totally saw a hot water heater down there, does this mean we have hot water now too!?” Bev asked excitedly.

“I would think so!” Mike said, making another round of cheers go around.

“Would ya look at that, we can function in this house now.” Richie said, a smile glued to his face.

“It’s ours.” Eddie beamed.

“L-Let’s make it official,” Bill said, pulling out a little pocket knife.

“Billiard, if you think for one second I’m doing another blood pact with you, you’re wrong—”

“R-Richie!” Bill laughed. “No! I m-meant—here, just watch…”

Bill looked around for a moment, then walked over to the front door. He ran his hand over the inside of the door just once to clear any excess dust, then started carving his name into it.

Everyone else caught on, standing around, waiting for their turn.

No one said anything as they all passed the knife around, carving their name into the wood one by one. But they were all smiling at each other as they did so.

It was _their_ house now; they’d left their mark. Even if they left someday, it would still be theirs.

Even if the door was removed, painted over, or even the house was demolished—it was theirs. Eddie could feel it resonating in his chest—he was _home,_ finally. After all this time. The moment Pennywise came into their lives he had been unsure, directionless.

Now, finally, he’d found his way.

Or maybe, it was the Losers that made this home.

Maybe if it wasn’t the seven of them, together, he’d still be lost. He didn’t know, and at the end of the day, it didn’t matter.

Because he stood there now. It wasn’t the Neibolt house anymore, it was the Losers’ house. And they all stood together, admiring their handiwork; their names etched into the very skeleton of this place.

Regardless of what “home” actually was, he had found it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	6. They Could Learn to Tame Their Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> We hope everyone has a lovely Friday and we love you all :,) Please enjoy!

The house was coming along bit by bit.

Everyone had started picking out rooms; Richie wasn’t too particular about it. He waited until everyone else had picked one and then wandered into the closest one that was left. Unlike Eddie, who was adamant on his room from the moment he saw it. Though, he was the one with the navigation, Richie supposed.

Richie dragged his boxes into his new room, letting out a huff as he promptly sat on one of said boxes. Looking around, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t big or small, it had a little window that was actually still intact, and even had some shelves.

He stared out the window; watching the measly morning sunlight stream in. He sighed, and he felt like maybe he was breathing a little easier now. They were settled, they’d planted some roots. Richie had always been sure he’d plant them somewhere far away from Derry, but here he was.

Derry needed him. And for whatever reason, he was here to help.

And in an attempt to help, they decided they’d spend the day practicing their powers.

There was a part of them that were almost ignoring their Shines, it seemed. The more they understood these powers and these monsters, the more _this_ became their life.

But when it came down to it, this _was_ their life now. There was nothing to be gained from hesitating anymore—they could’ve lost Eddie because of it. They needed to be more prepared.

So once Richie felt as ready as he could, he rushed outside to the others.

Everyone was standing around in the backyard; they’d already dragged their boxes into their rooms and were just waiting for Richie. Stan was standing around, bitching about the state of the yard—it seemed that would probably be the next thing to get fixed up. 

Eddie stood there, arms crossed, with that pissy impatient look on his face. Richie grinned; he knew damn well he was the cause of it. He couldn’t be more honored.

"Alright, I’m ready! Thanks for waiting, Losers."

"We didn’t have a choice." Eddie snapped, dropping his hands onto his hips. "So, how do we want to do this?"

Everyone instinctively looked to Bill, who almost flinched under the sudden pressure. "O-Oh, uh." He stammered. "Well, is there anyone who w-wants to go first?"

"I’ll try," Bev said; that confident look on her face. Richie could see the anxiety within her eyes as well, but she did what she did best—she ignored it, didn’t let it hold her back.

Mike looked around for a moment, then quickly collected some dead branches from around the yard, throwing them into a pile. "Let’s burn some of this excess, huh?"

Bev laughed softly, fidgeting slightly. "I’ll try."

For a long time, she didn’t really do anything. She just stared at the pile, looking determined. Any other time, Richie probably would’ve commented on it, but he didn’t want to break her focus. Believe it or not, Richie could read a situation sometimes.

After a few minutes, she held out her hand, taking a deep breath.

Nothing came out, but she looked excited. "I can feel heat!" she exclaimed, holding out her hand and making everyone feel. Her hand was indeed hot, like she was running a bad fever.

"Shit, that’s awesome!" Richie laughed.

"I don’t know if I can make fire just yet," she said, but she was absolutely beaming. "But I think I can soon, if I keep practicing. It’s a little difficult to keep this up," she admitted, letting her concentration go.

"That’s what the p-practice is for," Bill said with an encouraging smile. "You should r-rest for a few minutes, then give it another shot. Keep that up until you g-get there."

Bev nodded; and maybe she hadn’t been able to make it appear in her hands, but there was no denying the fire in her eyes.

Inspired by his (painfully obvious) crush and her bravery, Ben stepped forward. "I’ll try now."

Just as Bev had done, he stood before the pile of branches—which was now apparently their target practice.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, and once again, everyone fell silent. He was quieter for a lot longer than Bev had been, and Richie was starting to think maybe he couldn’t do it. Not today, at least.

But then Bill gasped softly, and Richie saw why.

The tips of Ben’s fingertips were frosted over—he turned his hand, and the center of his palm had a thicker coat of frost over it. He looked down at it in surprise. "Whoa," he muttered.

"Yeah, whoa!" Richie shouted. "That’s fucking crazy!"

"Does it hurt? It looks freezing," Stan muttered, his eyes glued to Ben’s hand.

"No, no, actually—I can’t really feel it." He shook his head, looking a bit lost. "I mean, I _can,_ but I can’t."

"Thanks Ben, real insightful," Richie said, earning an elbow to the ribs from Eddie.

"No I get it!" Bev piped up excitedly. "I can feel that the heat is there, but I can’t actually feel it on my skin!" she jumped over and threw her arms around him. "This is so exciting!"

Ben looked so delighted and almost pathetically lovestruck, and whatever focus he had been holding onto snapped. Richie smirked at the redness on his face. "Looks like you melted your ice there, buddy."

Bev pulled away and they both looked at Ben’s hand in shock. "Oh shit," she said with a bashful laugh, holding his hand in hers lightly. "Sorry, I distracted you."

"It’s okay," he stammered, "I think that was about the most I could do for now anyway."

Richie fake vomited. " _Please,_ be grossly cute somewhere else, I came here to see superpowers."

Bev flipped him off, while Ben turned an even deeper red—but they did indeed step aside.

Eddie shoved him. "Well c’mon then, if you’re gonna complain, go show off _your_ superpowers."

"I will." He said matter-of-factly, stepping up. It wasn’t until he was up there that he realized he had no idea what he was doing.

Bill had said something about energy, but that was about it. What the hell did that even mean? What if his Shine was like Mike, Eddie, Stan, or Bill’s? It’s not like he could really do anything with it if that were the case.

Yet, when he looked down at his hands, he could almost feel something under the surface.

"Big Bill, I don’t suppose you’ve got any specifics on what I do, huh?" Richie asked after a moment, seeing as staring at his hands was getting him nowhere.

Bill bashfully rubbed at the back of his neck. "N-Not really. All I could read was a l-lot of energy."

"Real useful," he muttered.

"Just try and focus, see if something happens," Eddie suggested.

Richie groaned, doing as the others had done—shutting his eyes and taking a breath. The more he thought about it though, the more frustrated he got.

He wasn’t like them. He didn’t know what he could do with his Shine like they did. He didn’t know if he was ever going to be useful in a fight or just in the way. He didn’t have a goal he was focusing on like Ben and Bev had when they stepped up here—he was just hoping for some revelation or moment of clarity. But it seemed the space turtle wasn’t on his side, because he had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"I’ve got nothing.” He groaned in frustration, throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe I’m just a ball of energy, like a big sign for Them that says: ‘Hey, we’re all over here!’"

Mike frowned, that familiar softness in his eyes. "Richie, it’s alright. I know you’re feeling upset, but—"

"You _know_ I’m upset because you know how to use your Shine!" Richie interrupted. "You’re useful to the group!"

"Rich, you’re useful," Eddie said, actual surprise on his face. "You’re as much a reason that we beat Boomer as anyone else."

"All I did was be annoying." Richie said, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Anyone could’ve done that. You said you could smell my Shine, right? And Stan could hear it? All that tells me is that I draw attention to us, which means _I’ll_ probably be the reason someone gets hurt!"

He had barely finished shouting the words out when the light bulb in the back porch light exploded, shutting everyone up.

"Shit," Stan muttered.

"You did that?" Bev asked, somewhere between shocked and thrilled.

Mike rushed over and began unscrewing the light bulb. Richie had to admit, he felt like he had just sprinted for a couple minutes, but he was sure that had to be from getting so worked up. "No," he muttered, "probably just the wiring and the generator being a bit too much for a new bulb. When’d you put that in, Mikey?"

Mike shook his head, holding out the completely obliterated bulb. There was rust grown over the remaining electrical parts. "I didn’t. This bulb’s been dead for years."

Everyone turned to Richie, who just couldn’t take his eyes off the damage—the damage he’d apparently done. "Oh. I guess me freaking out and that thing exploding is probably not a coincidence, huh?"

"It’s not." Bill said, and when everyone looked at him, his nose was dripping blood. He rubbed at his head slightly, looking like he’d just been struck. "That was a-all you."

Richie felt his insides twist. "Shit, Bill, did that hurt you?" he tried to swallow down the guilt, but it got stuck in his throat. "Fuck, I’m so sorry."

"It’s okay!" Bill assured. "Just a lot of p-pressure," he grinned, something like pride on his face. "Your Shine is something strong, Rich."

Richie couldn’t help the smile on his face, suddenly feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Oh God, I already need a nap and we’ve barely started."

Mike helped Bill sit back in the grass, even though he was quite capable of doing so himself.

"Y-You’re right, we’ve barely started." Bill said, glancing around at the others. "Let’s not waste this t-time. Let’s keep going."

Richie glanced over at Eddie, who was already looking at him—smiling hard. Richie’s heart seemed to stumble. It caught up though, and it was definitely beating harder than before.

Richie was out. Whatever energy he had, he had used it all—or maybe just exhausted his limit for now. He could barely feel it; just the slightest vibrations in his bones now.

Ben and Bev continued the rhythm of breathing, focusing, then trying again. Bev got one of the branches to light for a few seconds—it was small, and it petered out quick, but everyone was still thrilled.

Ben was doing great, he could freeze almost all the way up to his elbow, but he couldn’t quite figure how to get the ice to go somewhere else. He could frost over leaves or small parts of the branches just a little bit if he held them, but he got tired quick. 

Bill practiced by trying to get more specific readings on their Shines. He started off strong—able to tell Ben that his Shine was dropping temperatures, and that he was currently freezing water molecules specifically, which explained his difficulty with starting the ice away from his body—he had a lot more water to use within himself than in the air and other objects. He just had to concentrate on lowering the temperatures of things other than the water around him. 

Bill was also able to tell Bev that she was super heating the temperatures around her; igniting oxygen and other flammable materials. On the complete other hand from Ben, she was having an easier time focusing on temperatures outside of her body. 

He was able to tell Mike that if he tried hard enough, he could not only read the memories left behind in certain locations, he could use his empathetic abilities to feel how the person felt within those memories. To help Mike practice, they made him wait inside while they walked around in different areas, and Mike had to go around and try to figure out who had been where. He did great.

Stan’s Shine was much more complex, but Bill was getting pretty tired by the time he was reading for him. Stan could peek into other’s minds, and if they were distressed enough or weak-minded enough, he could have influence over them. None of the Losers were exactly susceptible to his influence, though—Bill offered to let him try it on him since he was nearing exhaustion, but apparently Bill was more powerful than they had thought. Stan couldn’t even brush against his mind like he could do for _everyone_ else. Bill’s mind was nothing less of a fortress.

Bill was completely out of commission by the time Eddie reached him, so they just had to recall on what he said before—he could manipulate growth and could navigate. He already had the navigation pretty much down. Just to be sure and help though, everyone hid around the house, and Eddie had to find them. He found Richie first every time.

As for the growth, everyone was sort of stumped. "What could I make ‘grow’?" he asked, shrugging.

"I know something—"

"Richie, don’t." Eddie warned, rolling his eyes. "I’m trying to be serious here."

Mike crouched down. "You could try it on the grass?" he offered, grasping at anything he could.

Eddie didn’t look convinced, but he crouched down with him. "I guess…" he muttered, pinching a blade of grass between his fingertips. He narrowed his eyes. "Actually…" he looked more focused now, and just like that, the blade of grass grew a few inches longer than the others.

"It’s for plants?!" Richie asked, completely lost. "Why!?"

"I don’t think it’s just for plants…" Eddie muttered. "I think…" he looked around everyone’s expectant faces. "I could be wrong, but I think it’s for anything that grows."

"Cell growth." Bill said weakly, looking moments away from laying down and taking a nap—after Richie’s outburst and after the readings he was able to get through, it was nothing short of pure will power keeping him up at this point. "I think that’s wh-what it is." He used the word ‘think’, but everyone knew that’s exactly what it was.

They never thought they’d see the day they put _that_ much faith in Bill, but if Bill had a hunch, they trusted it wholly and completely.

For a moment, Eddie looked excited; then his smile suddenly dropped. Bill sat up straight, both of them at attention. No one needed to ask, they just looked around, trying to find where the next Them was coming from now.

They heard some twigs snap from the front yard—it was close, it would wander into the backyard with them any moment.

Bill looked exhausted, but he was reaching for his cards. "Wait," Eddie said quickly. "I’ve smelled this before…"

Just as he said it, a familiar friend of theirs came wandering into the backyard—The burn still inflamed and stretched brutally across the bridge of its nose where Bev had harmed it. 

Dandelion stood there, head low, maw parted just slightly.

It wasn’t actively attacking them like before. In fact, it looked scared, resigned. "What’s going on?" Richie whispered.

"It’s not attacking, why?" Bev asked worriedly.

The moment she spoke, Dandelion shifted its eyes to her and dropped its head lower. It was definitely scared.

Mike stared at it for awhile, before muttering: "It’s scared of people now," he said, sounding strained. Apparently it was much more difficult to empathize with something that wasn’t human. "It won’t go near them."

"Except us, clearly." Richie said. "So what do we do, do we kill it? I mean, is it dangerous?"

"It has no intention of harming people." Mike said, shaking his head. "I just don’t think it knows where else to go."

"We’re the only thing on its radar," Eddie said, "it only knows us."

"So what, we just keep it around? Have a nice little pet—Y’know, the folks come to visit and we introduce them to our _lion_?" Richie complained.

"It won’t be domesticated either." Mike said, glancing at the others with a shrug. "It just… drifts around now, I guess."

Eddie began walking towards it, making everyone—including Dandelion—stagger in surprise.

"Eds, what the hell are you doing!?" Richie hissed.

"Shut up!" Eddie snapped, turning his attention back to Dandelion. "I just want to try something…"

Everyone was on absolute edge. They trusted Eddie, of course, but they didn’t trust Them. The moment that thing made a sudden move, they’d do something. Surely Bev could manage something like she did the first time, otherwise—he didn’t want to think about otherwise.

Eddie reached out his hand. Dandelion took a step back, baring its teeth just slightly. Eddie didn’t back down though, and Dandelion didn’t try to run or attack. Instead, it just watched uneasily as Eddie placed his hand against its burn.

It flinched under his touch, but Eddie kept his hand there. Richie noticed Eddie’s arm shaking before he noticed Dandelion’s skin healing.

"Holy shit." Richie muttered. "He can heal."

Eddie pulled away when he was finished, looking exhausted. The scar remained—made sense, all Eddie could do was promote natural growth, scars were inevitable. But that’s all it was, a scar.

Dandelion stared at Eddie, all signs of frustration and terror off its face. It looked all over them with a quiet curiosity, and just like that, hopped over the fence and casually made its way towards the woods. 

"Should we follow it?" Richie asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

"I think… I think it’s okay." Mike said, looking just as lost as the rest of them. "I think it’ll be back."

"Okay cool, whatever, I guess." Richie sighed, then grinned at Eddie. "Well, I guess this means Doctor Kaspbrak is in."

Eddie looked so tired, but he laughed. "Shut up Richie," he said softly, almost fondly. 

"I think we’ve d-done enough," Bill said, about three seconds from falling asleep. "Let’s call it a d-day."

Needless to say, they got some good sleep that night.

Richie awoke the next morning and stumbled outside, eager to feel a little sun on his skin.

He stopped on the porch, staring at the lion sun bathing in the front yard—like a giant, overgrown house cat. “You’re pathetic.”

Dandelion grumbled, but it didn’t move or even open its eyes.

Richie rolled his eyes. “What, you’re just going to come and stretch in our yard at complete random—just whenever you feel like it now?”

Again, just a grumble.

But Richie was spot on. That was exactly what happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	7. Regret Was Not a Sound We Knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> I love you all, I hope you're all safe and healthy. Enjoy! :)

Eddie and Richie sat at the kitchen table; Eddie bouncing his leg.

He was somewhere between excited and absolutely impatient. They all got a good night’s rest, and now they just wanted to practice Richie’s power more.

Eddie could tell Richie wasn’t exactly thrilled he couldn’t figure out how to use it at his will, so he figured practice was the only thing they could do. Stan, Ben, and Beverly had gone to the store to get more light bulbs what seemed like forever ago.

Richie was just laying his head against the table, already bored. "Isn’t this just a waste of light bulbs? And money?"

"Of course not. You need to practice." Eddie said. "And apparently light bulbs are the only medium you know how to use right now."

Richie just laughed. "I like that."

"Yeah, you would." Eddie smiled at him softly; he was glad to see him back to normal after the other day. Well, as normal as he could be anyway.

 _Finally,_ Eddie could sense the others were close now. "Geez, that took forever!"

Richie looked at him quizzically until the door opened; Stan, Ben, and Beverly returning with several bags.

"That’s getting kinda creepy, Eds," Richie said as he hopped up to help them with the bags.

"Shut up—wait, where did you guys get the money to get all _this?"_ Eddie asked, motioning to the six or seven bags _full_ of groceries. "We sent you for light bulbs—I thought we had like ten bucks?"

"Oh yeah," Stan muttered, pulling said ten bucks out of his pocket and handing it over. "Wasn’t needed."

Richie was rooting through the bags; Eddie figured he was looking for snacks, until he glanced at Stan and the others suspiciously. "There’s no receipt."

Eddie looked at them, shocked. "You _stole_ this?! How did you steal _this_ much?!"

Beverly and Ben exchanged glances, then both looked at Stan.

"Stan?" Richie asked, laughing in disbelief. "No way."

Stan crossed his arms. "It’s not like I’m stealing from a local business, we went to the market."

Richie just busted up laughing, poorly attempting to ask more questions but not able to get the words out. Eddie stepped up to speak on his behalf: "Okay, but _how?_ You can’t exactly just walk out of the store like this! And it’s all bagged!?"

"Well, turns out people who don’t have Shines have much weaker minds than we do," he explained, not even a hint of shame in his voice. In fact, he almost sounded proud. "It was easy to _influence_ them a bit—I just had them ring up and bag the items like normal, then _influenced_ the cashier to cancel the transaction while making him think we paid for it already."

"That’s a very nice way of saying you mind controlled someone," Richie said, that smile plastered on his face. He looked proud too.

"Well, I mean, what are else are we going to do?" Beverly piped up, finding her soda from one of the bags. "This entire household probably has a combined income of seventy dollars."

"And it’s not like we can get jobs right now," Ben added. "We sort of have more important responsibilities at the moment."

"I’m definitely not complaining." Richie said with a grin. "Stan is a criminal, why does that feel so fitting?"

Eddie just shook his head, not able to help the grin on his face. He quickly found the box of light bulbs. "Well, thank you Stan."

"You’re officially the breadwinner." Richie declared.

Bill and Mike came wandering down the stairs, Bill’s jaw dropping at the groceries. "Woah, h-how did you get all this!?"

Eddie grabbed Richie’s hand. "I’ve got the bulbs, let’s take this outside before we have to hear the entire explanation again."

"You’re the boss."

Both yards were empty, which meant Dandelion was off wandering around in the woods somewhere probably.

Eddie led them to the backyard, becoming hyper aware that he was just holding Richie’s hand now—his ears burning more than he’d care to admit. He still didn’t let go until they sat down in the grass, though.

"Okay, let’s see if you can just light the bulb up." Eddie said, making quick work of the box and handing one over.

Richie held it in his hand, staring at it; Eddie remained quiet, careful not to break his focus. Just as Richie looked like he was going to try a new approach, a tiny spark flickered inside.

"Hey!" Eddie exclaimed excitedly. "That’s a start! Try a little more."

"Okay, okay," Richie said eagerly, biting his lip as he focused once again. For just a second, the light bulb glowed—then it abruptly exploded, just like the last one.

They had both shielded their faces in time, and the glass just fell about the grass and their laps beneath them. Eddie slowly uncovered his face and looked at Richie, who looked just as dazed. He smiled sheepishly. "Uh… Whoops?"

Eddie laughed, surprising them both. He gingerly collected a piece of glass off Richie’s shoulder. "Well…"

Richie nodded. "Yeah, I don’t think this—"

"You almost had it."

"What?" Richie asked softly.

"Yeah! You saw that—you lit up the bulb, Rich! You’re making great progress; we just have to try a little longer." Eddie was absolutely beaming. He didn’t expect progress that fast; Richie really sold himself short. He was amazing.

For a moment, Richie looked genuinely touched, but he composed himself—an awkward laugh tumbling out of him. "Fine, fine. I guess I can deal with a little more broken glass."

Eddie just grinned. “We’ll see.”

Richie was much stronger than Eddie had anticipated.

Just like the first, the next three he tried burst. Eddie had thought for sure after the first one exploded, Richie wouldn’t have the energy to do that again. _Especially_ how quickly it left him exhausted just yesterday.

But that wasn’t the case. Just between yesterday and now, Richie’s recovery time had increased exponentially. It was almost frightening how quickly he got stronger.

Though, _stronger_ was exactly the issue here.

Richie couldn’t figure out how to tone it down—it was all or nothing. There was only a moment, on the last bulb he tried, where he lit it up for at least five seconds.

Eddie wasn’t sure if it was because he was getting tired or if he was getting better, but the moment that light bulb glowed between them, all they could do was smile at each other. Richie had looked so proud, so vibrant—Eddie almost forget the light wasn’t coming from him.

He might’ve never snapped out of it if the bulb hadn’t then promptly exploded.

"You lost focus," Eddie said with a little laugh, his face too warm. He wasn’t sure why he was left so flustered now.

"I guess I did." Richie laughed, looking just as awkward.

There was a minute of heavy silence, and it was Eddie who buckled under it this time. "Um. This box is empty, but I saw another one—"

"Slow down there Spaghetti," Richie said, putting his hands on Eddie’s shoulders before he could get up. "Those are for the house, remember?"

Eddie shrank slightly, huffing. "Shit, you’re right. Well, we could—"

"Stop for the day." Richie said with a nod. "There’s more than enough broken glass out here. Dandelion’s going to show up and wander right over it if we don’t pick it up soon." He paused. "Or Bill, he could also walk on it."

Eddie laughed, shaking his head—he wished that wasn’t so true. "You’re right. You did really well today."

"Stop sweet talking me, I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not working—you have to help me pick up this glass."

Eddie just rolled his eyes, but he still let Richie help him up.

"I think until I figure out how to use this better, I should carry a weapon or something." Richie said thoughtfully.

Eddie nodded a bit. "That might be a good idea. I think I saw an old bat somewhere in the rooms around here."

A grin found Richie’s face. "Oh, that’s perfect."

The day had been going by pretty slowly, and Eddie thought maybe exploding light bulbs would be the extent of their excitement for the day. That, and Richie running around the house until he found the bat.

The Losers were playing cards at the table—he should’ve been paying attention, but as the others went through their turns, Eddie stared out the window. Dusk was just starting to touch the sky, but the sun hadn’t quite set yet. It looked so peaceful, like everything was calm and quiet in the world around them.

A feeling of unease came over him suddenly, and before he could even figure out what it was, Bill stood up. "There’s one here."

"It’s not close," Eddie said without even meaning to. "It’s in the woods, but it’s heading this way."

"You can sense it from that far?" Richie asked, astonished.

"Yeah, I guess I can." Eddie laughed bashfully.

"Now you’ve g-gotta take us there," Bill hurried along as he grabbed his jacket and started tossing everyone else theirs. "We should ha-handle it before it gets into t-town."

Everyone was rushing to get up and out the door, even Richie, as he complained: "Shit Bill, this thing _just_ showed up, why’re you freaking out?"

Bill looked at him almost scolding. "J-Just because we just felt it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t b-been here."

"We can’t let these wander around," Mike agreed. "Someone could get hurt."

Richie was about to make some smart remark, but Beverly spoke over him: "Someone who _doesn’t_ have superpowers."

"Fair enough," Richie nodded, pulling on his jacket.

Eddie scowled as he pulled on his own. "You’re really going to wear that everywhere, huh?"

"Well duh, it’s my monster hunting jacket."

"It’s just the only jacket he owns," Stan muttered, making the others laugh.

Eddie couldn’t understand why he, or the others, weren’t scared. Maybe this was becoming to feel normal. Maybe they felt more confident after the training.

Whatever it was, they were quick to head out and start tracking it down. There was no hesitation in their steps this time.

And of course, Richie grabbed his bat.

Leading them in the direction of it was easy enough.

The Navigation came almost naturally to him; it didn’t really drain him either. It was easy. It was just following a scent.

"Geez, this thing smells bad—like worse than Boomer," Eddie muttered, the scent getting sickeningly thick around them.

"As bad as your mom, or…?"

"Rich, I will kill you." Eddie snapped. "Shut up and let me focus."

"Sure thing, bloodhound."

Thinking about it now, Eddie had never been worried about getting lost in the woods. He just always had an innate sense that he would be able to find his way back. He couldn’t help but wonder if this attributed to that.

They came to a small clearing where a little camping site sat, seemingly abandoned.

They all exchanged glances, then stepped forward to investigate. 

Eddie did some digging around for a little bit, but ultimately decided to just stand back while the others looked—this scent was starting to make him feel nauseous. He was having a hard time differentiating from where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere.

"The fire’s out," Beverly announced, lightly prodding the ash beneath. "It’s cold, it’s been out for a while. Maybe they left?"

"But all their stuff is here," Ben added, peeking inside the tent.

"Maybe they saw our monster friend and made a run for it?" Richie suggested, glancing at Mike. "Why don’t you work your magic?"

"Oh, right." Mike said, he took a look around and a deep breath. He shut his eyes, focusing on seeing the memories left behind. "They ran," he started. "They saw something that scared them and they took off. They saw—" Before he could finish, some twigs snapped a few dozen feet away from them.

Eddie could feel the color draining from his face, reaching out and blindly leaning against the closest tree. "It’s definitely here, I think I’m going to be sick…"

The moment he saw it, he understood why its stench was so bad.

It looked dead already. But like it had been dead for a _long_ time.

Boomer had been almost human like; the only thing human like about _this_ was that it stood on hind legs. There was an odd bend to its knees, going backwards. It didn’t look natural, like it was supposed to be that way—rather, it almost looked like its legs were too weak to hold itself up anymore.

Its skin was gray and dark, looking utterly decayed. Its arms were brought in close to its chest and only twitched occasionally—if it hadn’t just walked over here, Eddie would’ve thought it was in rigor mortis. 

Its face was long, maybe like an animals’, but it was too mangled and distorted now; like parts of it had been falling off for some time now. It shook and it twitched where it stood, its mouth moving like it was trying to speak, but its jaw hung too low. It looked like it might snap off.

Despite its appearance, blood and mangled flesh still dripped and fell from its mouth. It had managed to catch and eat some poor animal, it seemed.

Bill was already on his knees, flipping over cards, his now-dark eyes studying them.

"It’s weak," he said after a moment, his voice sounded hollow as he picked up another card and stared at it as if he were reading words from a page: "Fire and physical damage will kill it. It’s starving all the time." He picked up and scanned over the last card. "Its heart is ice. Melt it."

Beverly nodded fearlessly, but the slight tremor in her voice suggested otherwise. "Okay. Sounds doable."

As if it could’ve understood her challenge, it brought its mouth together hard—its uneven, jagged teeth clacking together painfully loud and it started towards them with a speed Eddie didn’t think was possible for its body.

But it wasn’t impossibly fast; they could handle this.

Beverly looked taken aback, and couldn’t quite find the focus to use her fire as it took scrambling, uneven steps towards her.

Richie, on the other hand, didn’t need as much focus to swing a bat.

He connected hard with its head, and the wet snap that rang out made Eddie’s nausea multiply exponentially. He almost didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t help himself.

Its head had twisted all the way back, its neck stretched and wound; something like bones poking aggressively under the leathery skin.

"Oh God, that’s so fucking gross," Richie muttered, taking a step back, looking a few moments from throwing up too. Even on the brink of vomiting, he still managed a: "This thing reminds me of your mom so much, Eds."

Eddie might’ve laughed if he hadn’t been sure it would’ve made him throw up right then and there.

The only thing grosser than its head snapping back was the way it reached up and began twisting it back into place; the sounds of snapping and popping dragging along with the painfully slow movement.

Richie’s face went white. Before he could be sick or retreat or whatever was going through his mind, fire erupted against its chest.

It screeched; it wasn’t as loud and brain splitting as Boomer’s, but it was still startling. Its chest was dripping open like wax, and inside was indeed iced over. Black, sharp ice lining its entire interior—encasing its heart.

One side of its jaw snapped loose from the force of its scream, but that didn’t stop it from lunging at Beverly with bared teeth.

Richie struck it in the legs, once again its decaying body was no match for his bat, and they broke and twisted so easy it was unreal.

But Beverly hadn’t been acting out of pure desperation like she had with Dandelion the first time; she knew what she was doing now. And she could do it again.

It clawed at the earth underneath it, trying to pull itself towards her, but it didn’t have enough strength to do so. Beverly just put a hand over her mouth, just as disgusted as everyone else, but she stretched her free hand out towards its chest.

Seconds later, its heart ignited.

It didn’t scream this time, it just went alarmingly still, its destroyed jaw still somehow managing to snap shut.

And just like Boomer, its skin began to flake off, falling into dust against the ground.

Eddie sighed with relief when the stench disappeared all at once, and he slid down the tree, finally able to relax. He had been holding back the urge to vomit the entire time, and finally, it was just gone.

The others still looked sick, though, but they seemed to be regaining some color. They had been sick from what they had seen, Eddie had been sick from that smell. It made the sight of it almost underwhelming.

"That was really gross," Stan muttered, glancing up at the sky. "And it’s dark now. Cool."

"That was disgusting," Richie agreed, but a smile found his pale face. "But we did it."

"Was that our first fair fight?" Beverley asked, mirroring his smile.

"I think it was, Ms. Marsh. And we kicked absolute ass!" he exclaimed excitedly, catching Beverly when she threw her arms around him.

"You guys were great!" Ben said excitedly.

"You did r-really good," Bill said, smiling as he collected his cards. Mike offered him a hand and helped him up.

"We can really make this work," Richie laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "We can totally fight monsters."

Eddie began pushing himself up, surprised when he felt Richie grab his arm and help him. "You alright, Eds?"

"I’m fine, it was just gross." He said softly, smiling at him.

"Like your—"

"Like my mom, yes, I know."

Richie laughed and threw his arm around him. "And you’ve got quite the tracker," he remarked, flicking Eddie’s nose. "Looks like this team can function after all."

Eddie swatted his hand away, but he did lean in against Richie just slightly. He was warm—whether that was from the physical strain of swinging a bat as hard as he could, or maybe the Trash Jacket was actually a _warm_ jacket. Regardless, Eddie was cold.

Richie didn’t say anything about it, just rubbed Eddie’s arm slightly as they walked back.

When they made it home, Dandelion was sleeping in front of the door. It came and went at random.

It took Mike, Bill, and Richie to roll the lion out of the way so they could actually get inside; and Dandelion offered no help, just groaning a few times, but mostly staying asleep.

Once they actually made it inside, it seemed the good mood still hadn’t diminished much. Everyone was still smiling, and no one was ready for bed.

"You guys wanna get schooled at cards some more?" Richie asked, the positive response was immediate.

Everyone settled in; and seeing as their stomachs had done the same, they set up snacks, which Richie was eating most of as usual. They picked up right where they left off, and Eddie was sure they were the only group of people who could make playing cards _this_ energetic.

Bill and Richie ended up in a heated argument after the second game about who had won that hand, and Bill almost knocked over his third glass of chocolate milk in the process. It was loud, everyone was laughing, and Eddie had completely forgot it was dark outside—it was so vibrant in here.

The argument had somehow shifted to Bill and Stan and something about birds; Eddie had no hope of keeping up so he just laughed and rested his head against Richie’s shoulder. He felt Richie go completely still under Eddie’s head. 

Eddie didn’t have to wonder if Richie was uncomfortable—something told him Richie was fine with it. That ‘something’ being the unused light bulb abandoned on the counter, glowing softly.

No one else noticed it, not even Richie, so Eddie just smiled and sighed peacefully.

He wouldn’t mention it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	8. They Tell You, You Should Fear This Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I hope everyone's doing well :) This chapter is pretty short and laid back, but there's a reason for that--because next week's chapter is going to be long and definitely not laid back, oop. That's all you need to know for now ;) 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Ow, what the fuck!?"

Mike just laughed, taking the hammer from Richie. "Maybe I shouldn’t have let you have the hammer in the first place…"

Richie glared at the angry red welt forming on his thumb. "How the hell do I manage to keep hitting the same spot?" he grumbled.

"Because you don’t shut up and focus on what you’re doing," Eddie called from the kitchen window—where he was currently putting away their new dish sets.

"It’s probably the sun in my eyes!" Richie shouted back. He shook his head, glancing at Mike. "Can you believe this guy? Here I am, doing the outside work, and he’s giving me attitude."

Mike simply laughed softly and took over construction.

There was a lot of work going on in the Loser household this weekend.

Two days ago, they not only easily defeated one of Them, but they also learned Stan could steal. Literally _anything._

The energy and absolute _high_ of defeating Eddie’s Mom (as Richie had so fondly named their most recent Them) hadn’t diminished in the slightest—and now that Stan could get them what they needed, they decided to pour this abundant energy into the house.

Sure, they had cleaned it and done basic repairs right away, but now they could really decorate it and make it look like a house rather than a clean, giant _shed_.

They even got all new appliances—unsurprisingly, no one wanted to keep the refrigerator Pennywise Twister’ed himself out of.

Mike’s granddad even ended up gifting Mike the old truck after the Losers had borrowed it all day to transport those new appliances. Things were really starting to work out—a house, a way around money issues, and now a car.

They felt absolutely unstoppable.

Well, except when Richie couldn’t hit a nail with the hammer to save his life. He was currently helping Mike build a gardening box so he could plant vegetables and such, but Richie realized very quickly he wasn’t actually helping.

"I feel like all I’m doing is making you look better."

Mike grinned. "And that’s a very important job."

"Yeah, well, I quit." Richie huffed, stretching. "Do you actually need me for anything?"

"No, that’s alright. I appreciate the effort, though."

"Yeah thanks, that doesn’t make me feel better." Richie said casually as he spun on his heels, heading back inside.

Everyone was busying themselves with various different tasks, except Bill, who was having a chocolate milk break. Again.

Richie ignored him and his very obvious addiction problem, walking to Eddie’s side. "What’re you up to, Spaghetti?"

"Trying to open this," he groaned, yanking at some stubborn plastic packaging around a new pair of scissors. "Honestly, how am I supposed to open the new scissors _without_ scissors!?"

Richie laughed, taking it from him. “A whole house full of superheroes, and not one can get this open. I have found our weakness." He said as exaggerated as he possibly could, earning a half-suppressed grin from Eddie. Mission accomplished.

Now to move onto his next, and far less thrilling, task—getting this damn thing open. He rummaged around in their utensil drawer for a moment, producing a knife. "Here we go."

"This is already a terrible idea," Eddie complained, crossing his arms.

"Ye of little faith," Richie said, getting to work on that packaging. It really was some damn stubborn plastic.

"You’re in a good mood." Eddie commented, eyes on Richie’s hand as he worked on cutting into the packaging.

Richie spared a glance at him; it was getting warmer outside, and more freckles were already starting to dot his face. It was distracting, to say the least.

"Of course I am." Richie replied, returning his focus to where it should be. "We’re badasses, and everything’s looking up. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Eddie smiled a little. "Yeah, everything is looking up, huh?"

"I think so," Richie said, returning the smile.

How could he go from being so frustrated to so soft like it was nothing? This boy didn’t know the meaning of denying an emotion, it seemed. Richie liked that about him, but when he smiled at him like _that,_ Richie did sort of wish Eddie would at least have _some_ mercy.

Richie winced suddenly as he cut his finger, completely missing the plastic by a long shot.

"Richie! You idiot, I told you so!" Eddie exclaimed, but he looked more frantic than smug. "Here," he said, grabbing Richie by the wrist and leading his hand under the sink.

Richie felt like maybe he should do _something_ to assist, but Eddie was adamant on two things: apparently rinsing Richie’s cut by himself, and two; bitching about it the entire time.

Richie had picked up the most incredible talent of tuning him out, so he did just that. He almost didn’t notice Eddie releasing his wrist. Instead of letting Richie go, he cupped Richie’s hand in both of his.

Richie’s ears burned uncomfortably warm. "Ah, what’s going on?" he asked, praying that he sounded at least somewhat chill.

"Healing it, you dumbass." Eddie replied.

Within Eddie’s hands, Richie couldn’t see the magic happening, but he could definitely feel it—the stinging vanishing more and more with each passing second.

When Eddie let him go, there was the smallest scar left behind, but otherwise he really was completely healed. "Damn," Richie whistled. "That’s a flashy superpower you got there."

Eddie just laughed. "Would you shut up?" he collected the discarded scissors; he gave a quick tug and the packaging finally tore open—it seemed Richie had gotten just enough of it opened before his _fatal_ accident.

"There." Eddie said. "We now have household scissors, so things like that won’t happen anymore."

"You say that, but we all know that you’re going to be fixing many boo-boos around here." Richie said with a smirk.

Eddie just sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I know."

Once Mike had his garden box built, he moved on to planting.

Eddie assisted him, giving those little seeds a head start with that handy promotion of growth. Not even five minutes in the soil, and they already had decent sprouts.

Eventually, they exhausted all their energy for the day. They had gotten a lot done, and everyone was starving and tired.

After dinner, they all sat around—now that they had furniture to sit on. Except Stan, who was already in bed. He had used that evil mind control of his all day, he was fatigued.

So now, the six remaining were all crowded together on one couch. A fairly large couch, sure, but some of them could’ve very well sat on the other, smaller, couch nearby. This was just more comfortable to them, apparently. 

"Man, we had so much energy today, and not a single Them even showed their face." Bev remarked, a confident grin on her face.

Richie laughed. "They’re scared of us, Marsh."

"As they should be." Ben added.

Bill laughed for a moment, but quickly sat up with a wince. Everyone else straightened out quickly, smiles falling. "You okay, Big Bill?" Richie asked, doing his best not to sound too worried.

"Yeah, j-just a headache…" he groaned.

"Nothing is ever just a headache with you." Eddie said worriedly.

"He’s got a point," Mike said softly, helping Bill stand up and get a little space from the others. "Maybe you should check your cards?"

"Ah, probably," Bill muttered, kneeling before the coffee table and pulling them from his pocket.

He seemed rushed to get them down, and the moment he flipped even one card, his face fell. His eyes scanned some kind of secret message along the cards, as if Maturin had just scribbled a letter down right on the card.

"We need to stop," Bill said seriously, his pupils as wide as olives. He placed the card down, but even as he broke contact with it, his eyes didn’t change back as he looked at them. "This isn’t a game, and we’ve had it easy so far. We need to be careful, and smart. And scared."

He blinked like someone had just waved a hand in front of his face, and his eyes were back to normal. He looked around worriedly, and no one looked confident anymore.

"Wh-What does that mean?" Bill asked after a few moments of crushing silence.

"It just means we need to stop joking around." Richie said, desperate to get this weight out of the room. "We’re just being too cocky. I’m sure it’s not anything specific."

Eddie smiled, but it was nervous and forced. "Yeah, I’m sure you’re right."

Everyone agreed, but not one of them looked even slightly convinced.

They eventually decided it best to go get some rest. Richie was able to fall asleep alright, but he couldn’t deny the discomfort sitting in his chest.

He had a bad feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	9. It’s Not the Ending That Will Haunt You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> As promised, this is a long chapter--so settle in. And more importantly, enjoy ;)

Eddie came half stumbling down the stairs, following the scent of breakfast.

His hair was doing something absolutely ungodly, and he decided not to pay any attention to it, just yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he reached the main room.

It had been about a week now since they had finished decorating the house, but it still took Eddie by surprise just a bit every time he came downstairs and this place was, well, a _house._ It was livable, it was clean—with the exception of some playing cards all over the living room floor. But Eddie would deal with that later; the smell of breakfast was much more pressing to him right now.

When he reached the kitchen, everyone was already up—except for Richie. Not surprisingly.

Stan had his head laying on the table, looking like he’d be falling asleep again any second. Ben was helping Mike cook; Bill was just sitting on the counter next to them, definitely getting in the way, but Mike would never complain about it.

Eddie sat down across from Beverly. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied, her hair in wild curls, even more untamed than usual. Eddie liked them like that.

"Morning," Stan grumbled.

"You okay?" Eddie asked with a laugh.

"He’s got a headache." Beverly grinned, nudging him playfully. "He’s being a baby about it."

"Hush." He groaned.

Bill hopped off the counter, pouring himself another glass of chocolate milk. "Where’s Richie, still s-sleeping?" he asked, glancing at Eddie.

Eddie’s cheeks burned slightly when he noticed everyone was looking at him. "Probably." He said with a shrug.

Richie had quite the talent for showing up on cue; Eddie could hear him sloppily taking the steps two at a time. It brought a slight smile to his face.

Richie wandered in, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. "I smelled food, so I am here."

"It’s almost done," Mike informed everyone. "Who wants toast?"

Everyone was quick to chime in. "I’ll make it," Richie said through a yawn. "Because unlike you freeloaders, Ben and I are here to help Mike feed everyone."

"Shut up, Richie, all you’re doing is putting bread in a toaster." Eddie grumbled.

"A toaster _I_ got," Stan interjected.

"Yeah, yeah," Richie muttered, ignoring them as he collected the bread.

"How much do you guys want?" he asked as he plugged it in—but before anyone could answer, the outlet erupted in violent sparks.

For a few seconds, all the power shut off. "Uh…" Richie muttered, letting out a breath of relief as the power hummed back to life. "I am so glad I didn’t break the house."

Ben held up the scorched plug of the toaster. "You did break the toaster, though."

"I _just_ got that toaster." Stan complained.

"I don’t think Richie should touch things connected to the power anymore," Mike said, casually going about plating their food.

Richie huffed, stomping over and falling into the chair beside Eddie. He was pouting. "Don’t pout." Eddie said, patting his back. "Just don’t touch anything that has the potential to start an electrical fire."

Richie couldn’t help the slight laugh that left him. "Well I moved from blowing up light bulbs, to blowing up toasters and giving our house a power outage. That’s progress."

Eddie laughed. "It would be good to develop some control before you progress much further. You’ve gotta slow down."

"Seriously, we get you’re strong Richie, no need to show off." Beverly grinned, kicking him under the table—it was oddly affectionate. So was the kick Richie returned.

"Alright, sit up straight children," Mike said teasingly as he started passing out plates.

Once everyone did indeed sit up, they all thanked Mike and Ben, and the kitchen fell silent as everyone eagerly dug in. Bill paused, glancing at the toaster. "W-Wait, so is the t-toaster _broken_ broken?"

No one even bothered to reply. Mike just sighed and smiled sweetly at him.

Eddie got to work on cleaning up after breakfast.

Bill mentioned something about too much chocolate milk and ran off, and the others went to lounge around the house. Except Richie. He did what he did every morning after breakfast—he collected all the leftovers, put them in a bowl, and left it on the porch for Dandelion.

Eddie waited until Richie had stepped outside before rushing to the window to watch. Dandelion was out there that morning—napping, as usual. But he was wide awake when Richie handed over the food.

Richie smiled and pet him softly; Eddie’s heart lurched. How could the most annoying person he knew also be so soft?

Eddie decided, for his own sake, he’d return to his task at hand. Which was currently dishes.

Richie came in a few minutes later, and without hesitation, went straight to Eddie’s side. It meant more to Eddie than he would admit. "Dandelion was out there?" he asked, pretending he hadn't just been spying.

"Mmhmm. Dandelion’s gonna get fat at this rate." Richie said, leaning against the counter.

"You’re the one who feeds him." Eddie said with a grin, making Richie do the same.

"Irrelevant."

Eddie laughed; it was times like this when he realized that despite the circumstances, he was happy. Mornings were so much easier here.

Monsters on their porch, exploding appliances, and power outages—and it was still _easier._ Eddie could breathe here. He still had his inhaler; he never could decide if he actually had asthma or not. But now he wondered if it was ever anything wrong with him, or if it was just his mother’s hands around his throat.

There was no tension here; even the darkest corners of this house felt lighter than every room in his old house. He felt safe here.

"You with me, Spaghetti?" Richie asked, waving his hand in front of Eddie’s face.

Eddie swatted it away. "What?"

"You spaced out. You doing okay?" Richie asked, but he was genuinely asking.

"Yeah, I’m fine. Just in my head today." He assured.

"It feels a little weird today." Richie muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"You don’t feel that?" Richie asked, glancing off thoughtfully. "Like… Like something is disrupting the air?"

"No?" Eddie set down the dishes, quickly reaching for the dish towel. "Why? Do you think something’s going to happen?"

Richie laughed, but it was empty. "No, geez, Eds—Just because I feel a little weird doesn’t mean anything—"

Mike came rushing down the stairs. When everyone turned to look at him questioningly, he gave a sympathetic smile. "Bill’s throwing up."

Richie and Eddie exchanged glances.

"That can’t be a coincidence," Eddie whispered.

"Sure it can," Richie assured, grabbing his shoulder gently. "Just calm down, okay? The guy drank like three cups of chocolate milk." 

Eddie wasn’t convinced. Bill basically served as a blaring alarm for when something was _wrong_ , and everyone was always so quick to write it off as no big deal. Eddie watched Mike pour him a glass of water and go rushing back up the stairs, then he glanced at Richie. "I think we should get ready to fight something pretty big."

"What?!" Richie asked, somehow startled by that. "Do you feel something?"

"Not yet." Eddie admitted, crossing his arms stubbornly. "But I still think something’s coming."

Richie sighed heavily. "Fine. I’ll go scare the others—probably over nothing."

"Good." Eddie said sharply, watching Richie to make sure he actually did. Everyone had questions, but Eddie just returned to the dishes for now.

He hoped he was wrong.

Eventually, Bill and Mike came back downstairs. Bill looked about as well as you’d expect him to look, but at least he didn’t seem like he was going to be sick anymore. Mike still kept an arm around him regardless.

"You doing okay?" Beverly asked softly.

"Yeah, I’m alright. Just a l-little sick." He assured with a smile, eager to sit down.

Richie gave Eddie an annoyingly smug look, so Eddie shot a meaner one back. Maybe he had overreacted—but he didn’t see a problem with that. It was better for them to be prepared than to be caught off guard and for someone to get hurt.

They spent some time just sitting around, not really doing anything.

Eddie didn’t realize at the time how odd that was—all of them just sitting around, no one doing anything except spacing out. Everyone just felt sort of tired. Stan had a headache, Bill had been sick; everyone else was thrown off.

It wasn’t until later, when he thought back on it, that he realized it should’ve been so obvious that something was about to go devastatingly wrong.

Eddie had managed to doze off on the couch at some point, but he snapped awake when he felt it.

He felt so much _more_ from this Them than he had for the others. And all at once—too much at once.

Eddie looked at Bill, who was already looking at him.

Eddie must’ve been deeper asleep than he thought; it seemed an hour or two had gone by, and some of the Losers were up and about now. Stan was passed out on the other couch, and it was just Bill and Eddie left in the main room. The others were in the kitchen, talking and snacking.

"It’s here," Eddie said, about to stand up to tell everyone else when Bill suddenly grabbed his arm.

"M-Maybe we shouldn’t," he whispered, looking almost surprised with himself. "I have a b-bad feeling about this one. Maybe it’ll leave."

Eddie looked at him, bewildered. "You know that won’t happen." He softened slightly. "I’m sure whatever it is, we can handle it. What has you so shaken up?" 

"I don’t know," he admitted, letting Eddie go. "Just a f-feeling."

"Well, we’ll be alright, okay?" Eddie assured, offering a smile. "We know how to do this. We just have to handle this quick, no problem."

Bill let out a slight breath. "N-No problem." He agreed.

Eddie nodded, then rushed into the kitchen. "It’s here."

Richie looked surprised. "A Them?"

"Yes." Eddie said, and it was his turn to give him that smug look. "I told you something was coming. Now let’s get moving."

Mike frowned as Bill walked over to them. "You okay?" Of course, he already knew the answer to that; he could feel it. 

"Y-Yeah," Bill said, smiling at everyone. "Just not f-feeling so good today. But w-we’ve got a job to do." He looked almost desperate, pleading. "Let’s just do it so we can come h-home, okay?"

Mike smiled warmly. "Of course."

The others nodded, doing their best to assure him. It was definitely disconcerting to see Bill so off balance like this, but they were a group—if he was struggling, they’d pick up the slack.

"Those’re wise words spoken by our fearless leader; I quite like the message of getting something over with as quick as possible so we can go home." Richie declared loudly, doing what he did best and relieving some of the tension.

Eddie smiled at him, and it surprised him he could feel so utterly captivated now of all times. But Richie really did put on the best performances when he was doing them for the sake of someone else.

Richie caught his glance, his smiling widening. "Well come on Spaghetti, sniff it out!"

Eddie laughed, shaking his head. "Shut up, don’t tell me what to do," he said, but he did turn to lead them along.

On the bright side, its scent was easy to follow.

It didn’t smell bad or sickening like some of the others had, it smelled like sulfur and wildfire. The scent was thick, like he was walking through smoke.

Whatever it was, it could move quick. They were following it deeper and deeper into the woods, having to climb up and over some rocks and cross a creek. They had gone straight with no stopping, and they’d still been travelling for at least an hour.

"Man, are we ever going to catch up to it?" Richie groaned as they climbed onto more rock formations.

The moment Eddie reached the top, he stopped. "I think we just did."

Everyone else crawled up—they’d reached a clearing atop the rocks; moss and wildlife growing through the cracks and spaces. It was darker and colder here; the rocks they were on weren't high up, so the trees still stood tall all around them and blocked out the sun. Eddie really wished the trees weren't so dense here--he couldn't see anything beyond them. He glanced straight up, sighing with relief at the blue sky overhead. It brought him some comfort.

The comfort was short lived. The scent spiked as it came into view on the other side of the clearing.

It was so much taller than any of the others they’d experienced yet. And so much _more._

It stood on hind legs, but had an abrupt hunch on only one side—the shoulder blade too pronounced—it jutted out of its back like its body wasn’t supposed to be built that way, causing its long arm to drag against the ground in front of it.

It was like too many things had been forced together. It was covered in fur, it even had a full mane—it was more feathered than Dandelion’s, but there was no mistaking it was a mane. Yet, it also had antlers; massive ones with moss growing along them like it had been sleeping in the Earth for a long time. Though Eddie knew that wasn’t the case—this thing was definitely not from here.

It breathed heavily, every breath that left it was smoke, thick and heavy; its maw something like a tigers--but too long, too thin. It dragged its eyes over them; they looked like embers. It was waiting.

"This one looks like it might be a little more, uh, _capable_ than the others," Richie said, that familiar nervousness in his voice. "How exactly do we handle this one, Billiard?"

Bill dropped to the ground and started laying out his cards, but it didn’t seem this Them was as inclined to wait for them.

It was fast, too, despite the way it hunched. Its body looked unnatural and forced together, but it moved with no complications, that was for sure.

Its arms were long and slender, but there was _power_ behind them—it stopped before Bill and smacked him aside too quick for anyone to do anything about. Bill was knocked right off the rocks; they hadn’t had to climb very far up to get here in the first place, but Eddie had no idea how steep the drop off on _that_ side was. But he couldn’t think about it now. It was going to chase after Bill, and then he’d _definitely_ get hurt—they needed to do something.

Eddie was glad he’d brought this now.

He fired three shots in the back of its head, and all the Losers turned to look at him in absolute shock. "Where in God’s name did you get a fucking handgun!?" Richie shouted.

"I found it at the camp site!" Eddie answered, not taking his eyes off the monster. It didn’t look very hurt, bullets clearly weren’t going to work, but at the very least it wasn’t after Bill anymore. It was frozen in shock, slowly beginning to look over its shoulder.

Richie, on the other hand, was not keeping an eye on it. "Hold on—you had a gun in your pocket—in your _overall_ pocket the entire walk here!? And you've had it since the _campsite?!_ "

"Yes!” Eddie shouted back, not having the time or patience to deal with this right now.

Richie was still carrying on, but it was lost to the rumble the monster let out. A deep growl; it shook the loose pebbles sitting on the rocks.

"Okay, so the gun didn’t work, any other ideas?" Richie asked loud enough for everyone to hear him—he held his bat with less confidence now.

"I don’t know, but we need to do something," Mike said frantically, the sheer terror in his eyes was almost startling—Eddie wondered who was _that_ scared, but Eddie realized that was Mike’s own emotion this time--he wasn't reflecting anybody else's. Mike was desperately trying to see if he could spot where Bill had been thrown to. "We need to get it away from there in case Bill tries to come back."

Beverly clenched her fists. "I can try, but it’s breathing smoke… I can’t imagine fire is all that powerful."

"Ice then, maybe?" Stan suggested, a hitch in his voice as the monster turned and began stomping towards them—its claws scraped against the rock as it did so. Surely it must’ve been doing that on purpose.

"Maybe," Ben said fearfully. "But I don’t know if I—"

"You’ve been practicing," Beverly cut in. "Try."

Ben nodded, steeling himself. The monster was smart enough to know who was coming after it now, it jerked its head to Ben and picked up its pace.

Ben was smart too though; it stopped abruptly and looked down to where Ben was freezing its legs to the ground. They didn’t know what they were doing, but at least for now, Ben had slowed it down.

"Okay, now what?" Eddie asked. "Do you think the ice will kill it?"

It grumbled again, something deep like thunder, then it opened its mouth—fire fell from its maw, dripping past its teeth with a control and accuracy that should’ve been impossible. The flames enveloped its own legs and melted Ben’s ice in seconds. Its fur or skin didn’t even scorch.

"Well. Shit." Richie muttered.

It wasn’t one for staying still—it darted at them again, but Richie managed to swing his bat just in time, colliding hard with its mouth, knocking loose one of its teeth.

It stumbled slightly and shook its head, massive antlers swinging threateningly. There wasn’t much they could do until they knew how to kill it. Eddie was considering maybe trying to tell everyone to run for now when Mike elbowed his arm as discreetly as he could.

Eddie followed his gaze to where Bill was huddled around his cards. _Oh thank God,_ he thought, quickly looking away—he didn’t want to draw attention to him. He looked okay; maybe a scrape on his arm and a few bruises, but nothing Eddie couldn’t fix up later.

Eddie was so relieved he almost forgot about their monster friend—it was so quick, it was in front of them in _seconds,_ and it lashed out. It connected with Ben, tearing deep claw marks into his arm.

Eddie panicked and fired; out of sheer luck alone, he sent a bullet into its eye. Richie used its distress to swing the bat into it again, he hit it so hard the wood splintered. Finally, they had done _something_ that left enough of a dent that it staggered away from them.

"B-Ben!" Bill panted, at their side now, scaring them—he was so lucky Eddie didn’t accidentally shoot him, he hadn’t heard him coming at all.

Ben sat on the ground, clutching his arm and wincing. "I’ll be fine," he groaned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I’m okay," Bill assured, smiling warmly when Mike grasped his shoulder. The way they looked at each other sometimes made Eddie wonder if they even had the capacity to be apart. They looked so natural together.

Watching them; Eddie couldn’t help but glance at Richie.

Eddie knelt at Ben’s side. "Here," he said softly, grabbing his arm as gently as he could and started healing it. He had never healed anything this deep before; he could feel himself having to exert more of his energy, but it was manageable.

"Bill, did you figure out how to beat it?" Stan asked frantically.

"Yeah, I don’t think it’s gonna stay like that for long," Beverly muttered, her eyes never leaving that monster.

"And when he comes back, he’s gonna be mad." Richie added.

"Yes, I got it," Bill said quickly, careful not to waste time: "I-it’s two of Them together." He explained. "They’re connected physically but m-mostly mentally, they need to be separated h-here—" he tapped his head "—b-before the h-halves can be killed by physical damage."

Stan nodded, knowing damn well everyone was looking at him. "Okay." He said, nervously. "So basically, if I can’t get it separated, we all die?"

"Yes." Bill said confidently.

"No pressure." Richie added.

"Cool, thanks." Stan muttered.

The rumbling started up again, and everyone immediately fanned out, taking a few steps back. Eddie had only managed to bring Ben’s wound from deep cuts to shallow ones, but the pain was already so much less on his face—it would have to do for now.

They both got to their feet and took a few steps back, back behind Stan. Stan hands were fidgeting at his sides, clenching and unclenching—he was already trying. Eddie glanced at Them dreadfully. It didn't look affected.

It did look mad, though.

It dragged its now bloodied claws against the rock as it stalked towards them, scratching a thin trail behind it—as if they didn’t already know how sharp they were.

"Hey, Staniel, don’t wanna rush the process or anything, but how’s it going?" Richie asked, his voice getting increasingly more frantic at is it got closer and closer. It’s rumbling got stronger, Eddie could feel the vibrations up his legs.

"Shush," Mike said sharply, "he’s trying, let him focus."

The monster faltered for only a moment, then Stan’s shoulders drooped as a breath he was holding dropped out of him. "Fuck," he whispered. "I couldn’t do it."

It was too close now—he missed his chance.

"Okay, let’s move, and you can try again in a minute," Eddie said quickly, him and the others already backing up, ready to break into a sprint the moment they needed to.

"No, wait," Stan muttered. "I _have_ to!"

"Stan!" Eddie shouted, quickly grabbing his arm and yanking him back, shoving him back with the others.

Now it was Eddie who had missed his chance.

It was really tall. He had known that, but having it standing right over him now, it seemed a hundred feet taller. It stood up straighter now, too. Its patience had worn out.

Eddie could hear the others shouting for him, but what could he do? Turn and run, and get killed from behind? Or his gun—that had already proved to not be that effective, and from this close there was nothing he’d hit that could buy him time. Not to mention, he had stowed it away when he was healing Ben. He didn’t have time to pull it out _and_ try and hit somewhere that would actually count. 

It breathed deeply, and the smoke churning inside hit Eddie’s face, made his eyes sting. Eddie decided to just shut his eyes.

He was sure it would kill him. It had only been seconds since he shoved Stan away, but it felt like hours. Because he knew what was coming. Or at least he thought he did.

Instead of claws in his chest, there was a hand around his wrist. Eddie’s eyes snapped open and he didn’t even really get a chance to process anything before he was being shoved back, falling back hard on the rock.

How had he not noticed someone was coming for him? He would’ve moved if it meant they didn’t get involved—but he hadn’t noticed.

God, if only he had noticed. But it was too late now.

_"Mike!"_

Bill screamed, but Eddie didn't look at Mike. He couldn't. His slowly looked at Them, though. It was hunched and ready to come at them again, blood dripping off its claws--one drop after the other, seemingly endlessly. Surely that was too much.

Richie smacked it with the bat again just before it was going to pursue them again, knocking it off balance just slightly; his bat splintered further, but it was holding out for now. Before it could find its bearings, ice formed on its back--thick and heavy, making it stumble backwards. It caught itself before it fell, but just barely. 

Even Beverly stood with Richie and Ben, trying to get her fire in its eyes, even if she knew it probably wouldn't do anything. Stan stood off to the side, but his face was scrunched up in effort--he was trying again. 

Seeing everyone else in action snapped him out of it; he scrambled to his feet and turned to Mike and Bill.

Bill was on his knees, cradling Mike's head in his lap. He was crying. 

Eddie's eyes wandered to Mike's wound, but his head spun at the sight of it; his eyes immediately bouncing away from it as if they were repelled. He couldn't look, he couldn't process it. He felt dazed-- _this_ was too much, he couldn't grasp this. He just stood there, staring at Bill as he frantically tried to get Mike to look at him. 

When that didn't work, Bill started checking for a pulse--his hands were shaking too much, he couldn't calm down. 

"How is he?!" Richie shouted; he tried to look over his shoulder, but he had to quickly return his attention to the monster he was currently holding off. "Guys!?" 

They didn't answer him; it looked like Bill hadn't even heard him. 

"Is he b-breathing?" Bill sobbed hysterically, looking up at Eddie now. Eddie had never seen him like this. Just another thing Eddie couldn't seem to digest at the moment. 

Eddie looked over Mike's face; his eyes were open. The relief it brought him washed away this paralysis Eddie was stuck in--it woke his brain up, cleared the fog. But now that he looked closer, all that gripped him was absolute horror. 

Mike's eyes were open, but they were lifeless. 

Bill looked all over Eddie's face, his hysteria only growing. "Is he alive!?" 

Eddie couldn't take his eyes off Mike's. He opened his mouth to speak, even moved it to form the words, but nothing came out. His voice was gone, his breathing halted. And Bill was still staring at him expectantly--his cheeks red and covered in tears. 

Eddie shut his eyes; he couldn't bare to look at any of it. 

Bill asked him one more time if Mike was alive; even if Eddie wouldn't look at him. 

Eddie shook his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	10. The Ones Who Never Fail to Give

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Just a reminder that we love you and we appreciate every single kudo, comment, and hit :') Also, sorry this was like two hours late--my attention span is very short, and I got distracted. From the bottom of my heart: My bad. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy :)

"Mike!"

Mike turned and smiled at him; he and Bill were currently huddled around the kitchen sink. "Hey Richie."

"What is suddenly so interesting about the sink?" Richie asked, hopping up on the counter. He peered inside and saw a few seeds scattered around. "Seeds? You gonna grow flowers in the sink, or? —"

Neither Bill nor Mike laughed at his stupid joke—tough crowd, he needed to go find Eddie as soon as possible.

"No, I’m just sorting through the _vegetable_ seeds I brought. Which I’m going to grow in a _gardening box_ once I was build one." He paused, smiling brightly at Richie. "You should help me with that, actually!"

"Me?" Richie asked with a laugh. "I’m down I guess, but why not Billiard?"

Bill looked at Mike expectantly, who just laughed nervously. "Uh…"

"Cause you don’t trust him with a hammer, got it." Richie said, sliding off the counter.

Bill gasped, and Mike just laughed—but he definitely didn’t deny it either. Instead, he rested a hand on Richie’s shoulder before he could walk off. "It’ll also be nice to spend some time together."

Richie smiled softly in return. "I’d like that. But come on, let’s not get _too_ sappy about it." He patted Mike’s hand softly and continued on his way, calling over his shoulder as he went. "I’ll be here when ya need me, Mikey!"

"Mikey!?"

Richie really couldn’t afford to be looking over his shoulder right now, but no one was answering him. Not Bill or Eddie, and definitely not Mike.

He didn’t have a chance to look at the wound; he had seen the Them slash at him, but that was about it. He had no idea how bad it was and not one of them was telling him what was going on—the only sound coming from back there at all was Bill, sobbing and shouting. It made Richie’s stomach drop.

As for the monster front, they weren’t inflicting much damage, but it was enough to keep the beast stumbling. If nothing else, it wasn’t exactly fond of all of them coming at it at once—especially its face, it stepped back to cover it each time. "Think you guys can handle it for a few minutes?" he glanced at his bat, which was on the verge of snapping in half anyway.

"We’ll be fine, we’ll just keep aiming for the eyes until Stan can do what he needs to." Bev said, more fire in her eyes than in her hands. "Go see what’s going on."

Richie nodded, wasting no time in running back to the others. Eddie was just sitting there, trembling, completely out of it—he looked like he’d seen a ghost, or worse. "Hey!" Richie said, kneeling and grabbing his shoulders firmly—Eddie flinched like he’d been broken out of a trance. "Eds, what the hell is going on?"

Eddie’s face twisted into something agonizing, glancing over at Bill and Mike.

"Shit," Richie cursed when he saw all the blood—it was everywhere. Bill’s hands were covered in it, he must’ve been pressing on the wound at some point, but now he was just holding Mike’s face—smearing blood there as well. It took Richie a moment to realize Bill was muttering apologies.

Richie knelt beside them. "Bill? How’s he doing?"

Bill screwed his eyes shut and shook his head, hunching over Mike in his lap. Mike wasn’t reacting at all. "Is he unconscious?" Richie asked with rising hysteria. There was no way it could be anything else, he _had_ to be fine.

Bill was an absolute mess; Richie wasn’t going to be getting any answers from him. And when he looked back at Eddie, he was just standing there with his hands over his mouth, crying.

Richie huffed, scooting closer and grabbing Mike’s face. "Hey—" he stopped when he got a good look at him.

Mike’s eyes were always warm. It didn’t matter what the weather was like outside, or what mood Richie was in, being around Mike was always so _warm._

But this—there was no warmth left at all.

His eyes were blank; the longer he looked at his face, the more Richie felt like it was getting colder. He had goosebumps.

"Oh no, Mikey," Richie whispered, gritting his teeth to fight back the emotion twisting his chest, stinging his eyes. " _Fuck._ "

"What’s going on?" Ben shouted.

Richie sucked in a breath that felt sharp in his lungs, but he still got to his feet. The others needed to know. "He’s dead." Richie said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Any focus Stan had was lost all at once, immediately turning his attention from Them to Richie. "Dead…?"

"What!?" Bev shrieked.

"No way…" Ben muttered.

The monster was staggering towards them again, and something in Ben snapped. The sadness on his face twisted into something much darker. With nothing more than a flick of his wrist, thick spikes of ice jutted up from the ground and through the monster’s middle.

It groaned deeply, but even now it was working on pushing itself off while trying to melt the ice down. That was some seriously thick ice though, at least it had bought them some time.

They probably should’ve kept someone watching the monster regardless, but in that moment, not one of them were thinking straight. And they didn’t care. They needed to see Mike.

They all stood around him, all looking shocked and devastated. They knew what they would see, but it still tore each and every one of them down when they _actually_ saw it.

"Can’t you heal him?" Bev sobbed, looking at Eddie.

"I can try," Eddie muttered, finally starting to get some life back in him. But he didn’t look convinced—he already knew the answer.

Still, he dropped down at Mike’s side, placing his hand against his wound.

Everything was utterly silent, save for the monster still struggling to free itself in the background.

Eddie pulled away, frustrated, his eyes welling. "I can’t."

Bill’s head dropped again, and everyone else turned away or gasped or cried—it sounded different for each of them, but that was definitely the collective sound of their hearts breaking, one right after the other.

What were they going to do now?

Richie couldn’t see how they could go on without Mike. Mike was the main reason any of them felt okay when things were hard. He doted on them; he took care of them. And Bill—he wouldn’t come back from this. Even if he was still around, they’d lose him too. 

Everything suddenly felt so hopeless. Cold.

"No," Eddie sniffled, shaking his head. "No, it’s not over yet. We can do something, I know we can," he said adamantly. "What’s the point of these powers if we can’t use them to save him!?" he cried, looking at his hands like he might find instructions on what to do next.

"Eds…" Richie muttered. "There’s nothing we can do—"

"Hush." Eddie snapped, staring off thoughtfully. He looked at Richie. "Come here."

Richie sighed, but he obeyed. He knelt beside him, resting a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. "I’m here, but Eds—"

"Shut up and listen! I have a plan." He bit his lip for a moment, lost somewhere in his thoughts. "I need him alive to heal the wound—" 

"But he’s not alive." Richie said, more firmly this time. "Eddie, you can’t heal him."

"I can’t heal him right _now!"_ he argued. "I just need his heart to start up again, just for a second." He looked at Richie expectantly. "I need you for that."

The weight of what Eddie was suggesting fell over him all at once. "No, Eddie, are you crazy? He’s been gone for too long, if you could save someone just by starting their heart back up again at any time, doctors would shock everyone back to life!"

"You’re forgetting we’re not normal people!" Eddie snapped. " _I_ can heal him. All of him—I just need his heart going. Even for a split second. And if we do it together, maybe my healing can assist your shock, we could _make_ it work."

"Eddie," Richie muttered, shaking his head. "What if this doesn’t work?"

"You have to try!" Bill suddenly cried. "P-Please."

Richie looked around; everyone was looking at him the same way. Their monster was just about freed now, he’d get loose and regain his bearings any second and be on them again. Eddie said exactly what Richie was thinking: "We don’t have any time to waste."

Richie clenched his fists. "I _can’t._ " 

"Yes you can!" Eddie shouted, quickly turning his attention back to Mike as he started working his shirt up and out of the way—he had apparently already decided this was happening. Richie still wasn’t so sure. "Just think of the lightbulbs."

"Eddie, the lightbulbs _exploded!"_

"Not all of them!" Eddie came back angrier, louder. His patience was running thin and he was beginning to get frantic.

 _Not all of them…?_ Richie had no idea what he was talking about, and Eddie didn’t explain. Instead, he just looked at him, his gaze completely solid. "You can do it," he said, and there wasn’t a hint of doubt anywhere to be found. And Richie definitely looked.

Richie anxiously glanced at Mike—he had to try. If he couldn’t do it, then nothing changed. But if he could…

"Okay." Richie said, nodding, scooting closer. "Alright, okay, let’s do it."

Bill hesitantly scooted back, gently laying Mike’s head down. He struggled with it, but he managed to pull his hands away.

Eddie pressed his hands against Mike’s chest, right over his heart. "Put your hands on mine."

"Are you crazy?" Richie asked, bewildered.

"No. Are you? What did you think you’d do, just send volts into him? You’ll fry him."

"And if you keep your hands there, I’m gonna fry you!" he argued. "What good will this do anyway!?"

"I had realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t heal his wounds when I tried earlier. I tried his heart next, and I couldn’t do it, but I know I was focusing my power there. I think maybe I can help direct where you go. If you use me as a buffer between you and his heart, and if I try to heal his heart at the same time…" his sentence trailed. He didn’t need to say anything else, he just waited expectantly.

"Eddie, I’ll hurt you." Richie muttered.

"Richie, we don’t have time for this! Just trust me! Try to direct it where I need you, and I’ll use my power with yours."

Richie sighed. "Fuck, Eddie. Fine. But if it’s too much, tell me."

"Okay. Just hurry."

Richie scooted in even closer to him, placing his hands over Eddie’s. He laced his fingers through the back of Eddie’s, and Richie wished this could’ve been in _any_ other context. He couldn’t exactly properly appreciate this right now.

"Do you think this will work?" Stan asked quietly.

"I do." Eddie said with a nod.

As he said so, the ground rumbled again. The monster was staggering towards them now; a little slower, but not by much.

"That’s _if_ that thing will even let us get started," Richie muttered angrily, quickly looking around for where he’d dropped his bat.

"Don’t, we don’t have time." Eddie rushed. "I need you right here."

"Well, Eds, if it comes over here, there’s not a lot either of us can do—"

"Enough!" Stan shouted over him, but he was looking at Them.

This time, it suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Stan had reached his breaking point—he'd had enough. The pain and fear on his face were still just as prominent, but they were being channeled into something useful. Anger, power. And just in time, too.

The color in Stan’s face seemed to be draining, but the Them was shaking. In just a few moments, it split—right down the middle. It changed as it did so, though. The two halves melted into something else.

Something akin to a stag and a maned tiger were left behind—not nearly as intimidating now as they might’ve been on their own before all this.

Bev and Ben knew exactly what to do. They rushed after them, and Richie didn’t need to watch to know they were killing those monsters finally. 

"Ready?" Eddie asked.

Richie took a deep breath. "Yeah."

Eddie nodded and waited, pressing against Mike’s chest just slightly. Richie screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus. _Just this once,_ he mentally pleaded with himself as he tried to steady his breathing, _just keep it in check just this once. If we do this right, Eddie and Mike will be fine._

He took another breath before letting out a quick surge of energy.

He heard Eddie wince sharply—he was too scared to look at first, but no one was freaking out, so he assumed nothing too bad had happened yet and slowly opened his eyes.

Mike still wasn’t moving, but Richie hadn’t damaged him in any way at least. He had no idea if he was causing internal damage, but he was doing his best to control his energy—he was trying to pinpoint it and put a cap on how much he could use. God, he hoped it was successful.

Richie was about to move his hands to make sure Eddie’s were okay, when Eddie looked at him like he was an idiot. "What are you doing!? He’s not up yet, keep going!"

Richie was overwhelmed to say the _least,_ but Eddie seemed okay. At least for now. So he let out more of his energy.

It was something like opening and then closing a jar as fast as you possibly could—he didn’t know how to limit it very well, but he knew how to turn it on and off. As long as he didn’t let too much out…

Eddie’s arms were shaking, and Richie could feel Eddie’s hands were warmer under his own. But Eddie didn’t seem to notice, his eyes desperately glued to Mike’s, waiting for _something_. "Again!"

Richie did as he was told. Again and again and _nothing._

"Richie, let out more this time," Eddie muttered; he was shaking all over now—and Richie didn’t know if he was the cause or not. It made his stomach twist thinking about it.

"Eddie, I don’t think that’s a good idea—"

"I know you’re scared." Eddie said softly this time, almost intimately, like they were the only two people in the world. "But this isn’t doing it—it’s not enough. I promise, Richie, you won’t screw this up. Just a little more."

Richie just nodded, his heart lurching—of course he couldn’t say no to that.

He looked over at Mike’s face, his chest tightening up. This was their last shot. If Richie let out too much now, he’d destroy Mike from the inside. And Richie knew damn well they wouldn’t _increase_ anymore after this. The first few were enough to make Mike’s body react, if they went another step further than Richie was about to, that would be too much.

Richie had to get it just right. Right now.

He tightened his grip on Eddie’s hands, screwed his eyes shut tight, and prayed to just about anything that would listen that this could somehow have a positive outcome—Then, he let more out.

The gasp he heard was sharp and painful just to hear, and he opened his eyes expecting to see something terrible had happened.

Except nothing terrible had happened at all. The gasp came from Mike.

Every loser let out some kind of relieved sob or cry. Except Eddie, who stopped Mike from sitting up and quickly tended to healing his wounds. Everyone was just waiting for Eddie to finish so they could swarm him.

Richie had tears welling in his eyes, he was so overcome with the wave of relief that struck him. He laid back, taking a breath. "Oh thank God, I can’t believe that worked…" he muttered. He glanced over to where their monster had once been—nothing but familiar piles of dust sat on the rocks now. _Good riddance._

Mike looked completely disoriented, watching Eddie work on his wound—the pain on his face slowly easing. But he didn’t ask any questions yet; poor guy probably couldn’t even remember how to at the moment.

Mike sat up as soon as Eddie was finished, and then he was fair game. Bill crashed into him first, hugging him with everything he had, burying his head into his shoulder. "Mike!" he sobbed. 

No one hesitated after that, everyone threw their arms around him and each other. Even Eddie, who looked beyond exhausted—and everyone cried. Sobbed, more accurately. That was the scariest thing that had ever happened to them.

And then Mike _laughed,_ and it was like whatever piece of Richie’s heart that had gone missing returned to him. Everything was warm again.

"Sorry for scaring you guys," Mike said softly, sounding just as choked up and fatigued as the rest of them.

They spent who-knows-how-long just clinging to each other. Even after most of the crying had passed, everyone stayed holding on to each other for a while. Eventually, they slowly began to separate. But not by much, all still sitting closely together.

Except Bill, who seemed to have no intention of letting go anytime soon.

As Richie and Eddie sat back, Bev gasped. "Eddie, your hands!"

Everyone looked, and Richie’s stomach dropped.

The entire backs of his hands were bruised a deep purple—angry red marks branched out all across them, extending and webbing out like cracks on glass.

"Eddie," Richie breathed.

"It’s okay," Eddie assured quickly. "I didn’t even really notice it until now. It’s just a little sore."

Richie gently took one of his hands, studying it. "Eddie, I think this mark isn’t going to fade away…"

"Hey," Eddie said softly, catching Richie’s gaze. Much to Richie’s shock, Eddie wrapped his hand around Richie’s. And he smiled—he had never looked more exhausted and worn out, but he smiled like it was nothing. Richie was sure he had never looked so gorgeous in his entire life than he did right now. "It’s fine, okay?"

Richie didn’t really feel better about it, but he was a bit too awestruck by the fondness on Eddie’s face to argue. That, and he was exhausted—everyone was. There’d be time later to reflect on this and figure out how he felt about it. Right now, everyone just needed each other. No more heartache for today.

And Richie thought he had been captivated enough—then Eddie leaned in against him, resting his head under Richie’s chin. Richie’s face flushed a deep red, and he wasn’t sure if he should ask what was happening or just hug him back. Thankfully, Eddie spoke.

"Richie…" he laughed softly. "You’re like an outlet."

"Excuse me?"

Eddie wrapped his arms around Richie, which was just killing him further, but whatever. "I feel like I’m charging," he giggled, and Richie could _hear_ the grin on his face. "You’ve got so much energy."

"You share energy through contact now?" Ben asked, laughing as well.

"So… You really are a charger, then?" Bev added, looking _so_ damn amused.

Richie blushed deeper, somewhat anxiously wrapping his arms around Eddie, doing his best to be casual about it. "Great. Glad to be of service. Now I can blow up lightbulbs _and_ charge you guys.”

"And save people," Eddie added.

Richie’s heart swelled slightly, glancing at Mike. He was too busy whispering something to Bill—who was still clinging to him—as he rubbed his back comfortingly. Richie couldn’t help the smile that found his face; the relief that sat in chest.

"Yeah." He agreed quietly. "And save people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	11. You Are Not Your Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> This is a pretty chill, short chapter. I had intended to make it longer, and I do apologize for it being a few hours late!! I've had a crazy busy week and didn't get a chance to work on it until just an hour or two ago :'( But next week's will be significantly longer, and we've got some pretty cool chapters coming up in the next few weeks that we're very excited about ;) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it anyway, though!

The fact they managed to get home after all that was nothing short of a miracle. 

Everyone had been full of pure adrenaline, running on nothing else, but now it was gone and when it left it took all their energy with it. They were completely drained--and everyone had used their powers to the absolute max on top of everything else.

Ben had used his ice as an actual, physical weapon--a huge one at that. And Eddie never did get the chance to completely finish healing him. Bev had been using her fire nonstop since the fight started. Richie had used his power in a way he never had before, and was physically exhausted from fighting off that monster for so long. Stan had an absolute splitting headache. And Bill was utterly emotionally shot.

The only one who looked more or less okay was, ironically enough, Mike. 

And then there was Eddie, who felt like he could barely walk. Siphoning off Richie's energy was probably the only reason he was able to make it home at all; the entire walk back, he periodically reached over and just hung onto his arm. He hoped it wasn't making Richie more tired, but Eddie didn't even have the mental processes to think to ask. Saving Mike and trying to direct Richie's energy had taken so much out of him. And now, after leading them so deep into the woods, he had to navigate them home or else they would've been hopelessly lost. 

If all that wasn't enough, he was in _pain._

When the adrenaline was still barreling through him, his hands had only felt a bit sore. Now, it was a constant, deep ache. Every time he moved even just his fingers, even barely, a shock twinged through his entire hand, seeming to shoot all the way up into his arm. It was violent and sharp, and it was all he could do not to show it; he could see the look of guilt on Richie's face, he hated to make him more miserable. But despite his efforts, there wasn't much hiding the way his hands trembled or flinched. 

He'd talk about it with him later, but their main focus for now was just getting back home. 

They were practically all leaning on each other the entire walk back, but after what seemed like years, they did finally make it. 

Dandelion was sitting there on the porch. But rather than sleeping as usual, it was staring at them expectantly. As they all walked past and into the house, Dandelion sniffed at Mike curiously. None of them had the energy to acknowledge that beyond giving Dandelion's head a pat as they passed. 

They had barely even stumbled through the door and everyone was already wishing each other good night, clambering upstairs. Except Mike, who stopped Richie and Eddie and pulled them aside. "Hey. I just wanted to say, y'know. Thank you." 

"C'mon Mikey, you don't have to thank us for something like that." Richie said, too tired to come up with anything witty. But there was such genuine softness in Richie's voice, it spoke volumes. 

"It stands anyway," Mike said sincerely, hugging them both. Eddie let out a relieved sigh as he hugged him back. He completely agreed with Richie. and he would do it a hundred more times if he needed to; he was just beyond grateful they were able to bring him back. 

When he pulled away, he gave them both a warm smile, and it washed it all away--all that turmoil and panic. He was soothed.

They both stood and watched him rush up the steps--Eddie wondered if this feeling of absolute relief would ever leave, or if every time he saw Mike he'd just be overcome by it again and again. He didn't mind if that were the case. 

Eddie let out a slight sigh. "Alright, we should get to bed, too." 

Richie just glanced at him, his eyes involuntarily dropping to his hands. "They hurt, huh?"

"No, I already told you," Eddie lied. "They're fine, Rich." 

Richie was a lot of things, but he had never been stupid, that was for sure. He just shook his head. "I am so sorry, Eddie." he said quietly. His eyes wouldn't leave his hands now; his gaze was completely stuck, and the way his face twisted into anguish was more painful than anything else. 

"Richie, would you shut up with that?" Eddie teased softly, desperate to get that look off Richie's face. "I don't mind it, I don't. Yes, okay, it hurts. But it won't hurt forever. It was a small price to pay for Mike." 

"I know it was for Mike," Richie sighed, "and I wouldn't take it back, but... I'm sorry I didn't have better control of it. And I know those marks are gonna scar, so you'll have _those_ forever, even when the pain goes away." he muttered. 

Eddie spared a glance at his hands, studying the marks. He hummed thoughtfully. "I'm okay with that." 

"What?!" Richie choked, _finally_ looking at him. 

Eddie nodded, smiling up at him. "Yeah, they're kinda cool, don't you think?" 

Richie stared in shock for a few moments before just busting up laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. "You are something else entirely, Kaspbrak," he said, the fondness making Eddie's heart melt. Richie _smiled_ at his hands this time, gently taking them in his, turning them to inspect the marks on both sides. "I guess they are pretty cool looking." he admitted. 

"Like a tattoo." Eddie said with a grin, making Richie do the same.

"Go to bed Spaghetti, you look terrible." Richie said, hesitating for a moment before dropping Eddie's hands. 

Eddie rolled his eyes. "You too." 

"Nuh uh. I'm an endless source of energy apparently, remember?" Richie muttered sarcastically, but the fatigue in his voice was evident. Eddie ignored his stupid comment and they started slowly climbing the stairs together. 

"So now you know you can use your energy directly," Eddie said, "are you gonna use it in fights, then?" 

Richie stared off thoughtfully. "Maybe. My bat's fucked, so I guess it's good timing to figure it out..." he still looked hesitant, though. Eddie supposed he could understand why. Now that he'd felt Richie's power firsthand, literally, he had a whole new understanding of just _how much_ power Richie was dealing with. It was immense. And Richie had been holding back so much, Eddie couldn't even imagine what he was capable of. 

It might've been concerning, maybe even a little scary, if it was anyone other than Richie. 

"You'll learn to control it just fine." Eddie said confidently, knowing full well that was what Richie was worried about yet again. 

Richie just smiled a little. "Well there's gotta be a reason you have so much faith in me." 

"There's not one, it's a terrible decision on my part really." 

Richie gasped. "You're so mean," he said, despite that stupid grin on his face. "You need a nap right now." 

"Working on it," Eddie laughed. They both paused before his room, and neither of them really seemed to know why. Eddie just nodded a little. "We did alright today." 

"We did." Richie agreed. He brushed a piece of Eddie's hair aside. "Now go to bed." he muttered, turning and heading to his own room.

Eddie watched him go before he finally walked into his own. He threw himself down on the bed; he didn't care to change or anything else, he was too exhausted to put that much thought into anything. 

Especially considering his mind was running enough already. 

At least sleep came relatively quickly. He didn't have to think too much. 


	12. Your Crooked Shape Will Never Fit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone ask for a super crackhead-energy joke chapter? No? Well, too bad. Matt and I literally came up with this nonsense at like one in the morning, we hope you like it :)

Everyone was still ridiculously tired. 

No one really even had the energy to speak all that much yet, they were all just sitting at the table, quietly eating breakfast as everyone woke up. Eddie was zoned out, somewhere else entirely. Stan had been staring out the window all morning. Mike was absently doing dishes, and Bill was just sitting at the table, his eyes dropping. Meanwhile, Richie was sure he had never eaten cereal this slow in his entire life. Who doesn't even have the energy to _eat cereal?_

Ben came down the stairs, not so much as a "good morning" as he passed, he just settled in beside Richie, but he looked sort of nervous. Richie glanced at him. "How're you hanging in there, haystack?" 

Ben looked him up and down. "Fine." he said quietly, almost defensively. "Why?" 

Richie laughed a little. "Uh, I don't know? Just checking in." 

"Oh. I'm alright." Ben smiled, not exactly looking relaxed or anything, but Richie supposed that was understandable. It had been a rough past couple of days, things were a little weird right now. 

Bill had been asleep at the table for awhile now, face propped up in his hand. Finally, his hand slipped and he smacked his head against the table, waking up abruptly. He blinked heavily, then glanced around sleepily for awhile. "... I need chocolate milk." 

"I'll get it!" Ben rushed, hopping up and hurrying into the kitchen before anyone could say anything about it. 

"Thanks Ben," Bill yawned, laying his head on the table. 

Bev came rushing down the stairs next, a jacket tied around her waist. She stomped into the kitchen. "Who did this?" she demanded, holding up one of her jeans--the back of it had been cut up. She did not look amused. 

It took Richie a moment to realize everyone was looking at him. He sputtered in shock. "What the hell!? It wasn't me!" 

"That's not funny, Rich." Eddie mumbled. 

"It wasn't me!" he shouted again since no one had heard him _apparently._

Bev huffed angrily. "Well _whoever_ did it," she snapped, still looking at Richie. "It's a shitty prank. All of my pants are like that." 

"Why don't you just go get some more then?" Ben snapped back, surprisingly literally everyone. He didn't apologize, though. He just handed over Bill's cup of chocolate milk and sat back down without another word. 

The anger had drained from Bev's face, and she just looked somewhere between shocked and hurt. "Um. Well I guess I have to." 

"Alright, alright." Stan sighed, standing and stretching. "Come on, let's go shopping Bev. Maybe people around here can work on their attitudes while we're gone," he said sharply, but once again, Ben didn't even so much as seem to notice. 

Usually, Richie might try and get Ben to talk out whatever was on his mind--but he was exhausted, and had cereal to finish. 

"Eddie!" 

Richie, Eddie, Mike, and Bill had been sitting around on the couch when Ben called for him. "Your mom just called, she's not feeling good. She's needs to see you right away." 

Eddie glanced at Richie and groaned. "Oh god..." he muttered. "Come with me?" 

"Absolutely not, Eduardo." Richie smiled, patting Eddie's cheek. "But have fun!" 

"Shut up," Eddie grumbled, hesitantly getting to his feet. "I guess I'll be back later guys," he announced, not a hint of enthusiasm and dragged himself out the door. 

Bill was sipping on what must've been the fourth cup of chocolate milk that Ben had gave him when he suddenly slammed it down on the coffee table so abruptly half of it splattered out. "Dude!" Richie exclaimed, rushing to get paper towels. "What is wrong with you!?" 

Bill didn't answer him, just went sprinting up the stairs. The next thing they heard was the bathroom door slam shut. 

Richie snickered as he wiped up the spill. "Too much chocolate milk." 

Mike laughed softly as well. "He usually doesn't get sick, guess his stomach just isn't agreeing with him today." 

Ben leaned on the back of the couch. "He could probably use some water with electrolytes in it or something." he suggested, nudging Mike. "Maybe you should go get him some. I bet he'd appreciate it." 

Richie laughed. "How badly do you think his stomach is upset?" 

Ben apparently was joking around though, because he looked at Richie dead serious. "Bad." 

"Uh..." Richie glanced at Mike.

But Mike was easy to panic, especially when it came to Bill. He was already pulling on shoes. "Do you think he needs anything else?" Mike asked worriedly. "What else could I even get for him?" 

"I'm sure he'll be fine with the water, but you should hurry." Ben insisted, practically shoving Mike out the door, and Mike was happy to oblige. 

Ben shut the door behind him, smiling somewhat awkwardly at Richie. "Another problem solved." he said after a moment, walking off. 

Richie just stood there, not entirely sure of all that just happened. 

Today was weird. 

Mike stood there, staring at all the bottles of water in front of him. 

The more rational part of him knew they were all exactly the same, but he still fussed over each one. He wanted to hurry, but he also wanted to make a good decision--this was Bill after all, he never took very good care of himself, someone else had to do it for him. Mike didn't mind. 

And Ben had seemed quite adamant that Bill was _really_ going to need this. 

Maybe Ben knew something Mike didn't? Did Bill say something to him? Ben had been the one rushing to refill Bill's cup every time it got empty. Maybe he was just making a guess based off how much Bill had drank. Mike supposed he probably should've paid closer attention and cut Bill off after awhile. Ben was too nice, he wouldn't tell Bill to stop. 

Mike sighed, finally just deciding on a random bottle. 

He looked over it for a moment when a thought suddenly struck him. 

He didn't have any money. 

Stan usually just used his influence to get them whatever they needed--the entire house had maybe fifty bucks altogether, and it was sitting in a bowl in the living room for emergencies. Mike had been in such a rush, he completely forgot to grab any of it. 

He clutched the bottle a little tighter in his hands, glancing over at the doors. 

Beverley had shoplifted before--and Stan basically stole all the time. It wouldn't make him a bad person, right? Plus, Bill was sick. He needed to stay hydrated and healthy, especially with his job in the group. Plus, he could always come back with the money later... 

He chewed on his lip thoughtfully. 

He'd done much more difficult things than this. This would be easy. 

So he took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then went for it. 

He was pacing. 

This was taking longer than he thought. He knew beforehand that there was a lot of energy coming from this place, but he didn't realize there were so many people here. All he wanted was to bask in this power for a little while. He'd surely get stronger. But he had to get these pests out of the damn way first--he'd just have to keep buying time.

At least for now, all of them except one were out of his way. He had no idea what he was going to do about the last one--

"Yo, haystack." 

And speak of the devil.

He snapped out of it, pulling his best smile for Richie. "Yeah?"

"Can you help me? The light in the storage closet went out-- _Not_ because of me, I'd like to add. It just burnt out." he said, holding up a new light bulb. "Gotta switch it." 

"You need help switching a light bulb?" 

"Well, sorta. I've got the step ladder in there but that thing is super unstable. Very sus." he said, batting his eyes dramatically. "Would you come hold it for me, please? So I don't fall and crack my head open?" 

He thought about telling him to get lost so he could think, but then he realized how _perfect_ this was. 

"Sure thing!" he said cheerfully. "Please, lead the way." 

The storage closet was a decent size. Enough room for two people to be in there and moving around, but would be too crowded for three. Didn't matter--all it needed to be able to do was hold _one._

Richie climbed up the steps, and the ladder did indeed wobble underneath him. He grabbed onto the sides, watching Richie unscrew the dead light bulb. "Honestly, I don't know why we just didn't go and replace every light bulb in this place. None of them are destined to last for long." 

"Uh huh," he muttered, not listening to a word he was saying. Slowly, he backed up. Richie hadn't noticed; he was still talking and beginning to screw in the new light bulb. Quickly, he stepped out and shut the closet, securing the latch on the outside. 

"Woah!" Richie called from inside. "Very funny Benny Boy, now open up, huh?" 

He simply ignored him, rushing up the stairs. He'd handled that one. Though Bill wouldn't be sick for much longer. It was just a fast-acting laxative he put in his drinks, it's not like it would last all day. 

As if on cue, the moment he climbed the steps, he could hear the water running in the bathroom. "Doing okay?" he called. 

"Yeah, I feel better." Bill answered. "I'm just gonna shower and get dressed, I think. Could you bring me a change of clothes?" 

"Fine." he grumbled, stomping to Bill's room. Great, he'd be out soon, and now he'd have to think of something else--he stopped dead in his tracks before the girl's room. He had thought cutting up all her pants would've kept her in her room all day, but he hadn't considered she'd just cover it with a jacket. But if Bill only had the clothes he brought him... 

Quickly, he grabbed a pair of Beverley's pants and rushed back to the bathroom. Bill was already in the shower, thankfully, so he quickly exchanged his pants for hers, then got out of there. 

He leaned against the closed door for a moment, letting out a sigh of relief. 

Finally, this was going well. 

This was not going well. 

Eddie's mom was _not_ sick, she was just fine. And now, they were sitting together, and she was talking. Nonstop. 

When he had come in, she was so excited to see him, she practically crushed him and dragged him over to ask about life at the house. He told her, and she did actually listen which was pretty impressive, but she had no idea what he was talking about with he mentioned her calling about being sick. She also didn't care enough to dwell on it, and just started filling him in on the details of her life lately. 

And after she had done that, she started giving him a very, very, very, _very_ in depth explanation about her newest favorite show. 

Eddie didn't mind listening to it for about the first half hour. Now, he could feel his brain actually melting. He had to get out of here, but it's not like he could just say "kay, I'm leaving"--not with _his_ mom. She'd never let him go. He just needed an opening. 

Finally, he got one. 

"Oh, the newest episode's coming out in a few minutes!" she cried excitedly, interrupting her rambling about the last week's episode. "They just got him back, now who knows what they'll have to deal with," she muttered thoughtfully to herself, standing. "I'll go make us some popcorn!" she said before falling right back into theorizing to herself.

This was it. 

She could see the front door from the kitchen, she'd stop him. 

But the bathroom had a window... 

Quickly, he rushed that way. He didn't think she noticed. And even if she did, she'd just think he was going to wash his hands or something. He rushed inside, cursing when he saw the window. It was much smaller than he remembered. 

But... Not _too_ small. 

Quickly, he stood on the edge of the tub, pushing the window open. 

It would be a tight squeeze, but he was pretty sure he could pull himself through. 

_Am I really desperate enough to escape through a window just to avoid spending time with my mother...?_

"Oh!" she called. "And they show reruns after the new episode, let's watch those too!" 

Well that answered that question. 

Without debating it any longer, he got to work sneaking out the window. 

"Thanks again, Stan." 

"No problem." Stan assured as they walked--the house was in sight now. "We'll kick Richie's ass later for ruining your clothes."

"Yeah!" Bev gasped, the anger returning to her. "He's never done anything so destructive before just for a stupid joke. Richie may not always be funny, but at least it's usually in good taste now that he's older." 

Stan shrugged. "Maybe he's acting out from the stress of the other day." 

"What, like a five year old?" she asked, a grin tempting her face. 

"Exactly." Stan agreed, mirroring her. 

She laughed softly. "Thanks again," she said as they made it inside. She took her bags of new clothes and hurried upstairs. Stan wandered into the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water when the phone rang. He groaned and considering ignoring it for a moment, but they didn't get many calls, they were usually important. He answered with a sigh. "Yeah?" 

"Hello, do you know a Mike Hanlon?" 

Stan frowned, setting his glass down. "Maybe. Who's this?" 

"This is the Derry Police Department. We've got him in custody for theft." 

Stan was pretty sure his brain stopped for a few minutes there--when it finally did catch up, all that left him was a long, heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll come bail him out." he said, hanging up before hearing what they had to say. Stan had never intended to influence the police with his shine, but Mike hadn't really left him a damn choice now. 

He headed right back outside, bumping into someone. 

Eddie stood there, looking absolutely disheveled. His hair was a mess, his jacket hanging down his shoulder. One of his shoes were gone. 

"What in the fresh Hell--" 

"I don't want to talk about it." he deadpanned, walking around him and inside. 

"Wait! Mike's in trouble--" 

"Is he dead?" Eddie snapped, turning on him, looking like he was on the verge of a psychotic meltdown. 

"No, he's just--" 

"Then I don't care." he said bluntly, rushing inside. 

Stan sighed heavily. 

At least getting Mike was easy enough. It's not like he'd committed any serious crime, he was just in a holding cell. Stan made quick work of influencing them to let him go without any charges and giving him his belongings, and then they were headed home. 

"Sorry." Mike muttered, hugging Pedialyte to his chest. 

"I'm not even going to ask." Stan muttered. 

They walked home in silence, and when the house came into view, he sighed in relief. "I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap," he said, pushing open the door. 

He really wished he hadn't come home now. 

Ben was _tied to a chair_ in the kitchen and Eddie was standing there next to him, absolutely seething. He might as well have been foaming at the mouth. There were broken plates on the floor, there was flour everywhere for God-knows-what-reason, and the damn couch was flipped over. Bev was just standing in the hallway, watching silently with a shocked expression, but she clearly didn't do anything to stop this ether. 

Stan almost just didn't want to ask. He really did consider just walking upstairs and taking his nap--just leaving this to them. 

Instead, he rubbed at the temples of his head, willing away the headache that was forming. "What is happening?" 

"This isn't Ben." Eddie said, real crazy in his eyes. "He tried to lock me in the pantry!" 

Bill came downstairs, wide eyed. "What the--" 

"I don't know." Stan said quickly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Apparently Ben's evil." 

"Where's Richie?" Bev asked after a few moments. 

Eddie glared at Ben, then focused for a moment, most likely tracking him down. "Oh my god," he muttered, rushing to the closet in the other room. Everyone hurried after him; including Bill, who was clearly unaware he was wearing Bev's clothes that had been cut up in the back, because there was just no ass to his pants. Stan decided _that_ would be the thing that he didn't expend brain power on to worry about. 

Stan did follow them, though. He supposed he didn't really have a choice now. 

When they opened the closet, Richie was indeed locked in there. 

"Get out of the closet," Eddie demanded, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out. 

Bev smirked, causing Stan to do the same. They didn't say anything about it though--Eddie was _this_ close to absolutely losing it, and something told Stan that joke would affect Eddie more than it would Richie. 

"So, uh, something's wrong with Ben." Richie said, almost frantically. "He freaking locked me in the closet--Bill, why is there no ass to your pants?" 

"Are you wearing my pants?" Bev asked quietly. 

Bill awkwardly backed up a few steps. "Uh. How about I go ch-change and get my cards?" he said quickly, rushing off. 

"So we've established something's going on then?" Richie asked.

"I guess so." Stan muttered. "Lots of weird shit going on today." 

"I don't understand, you don't feel anything?" Richie asked, turning to Eddie. 

"No, I don't. But that's not Ben." he said stubbornly. 

"Maybe you're defective." 

And of course, that set Eddie off--he started yelling at Richie about he couldn't just be 'defective', and it wasn't his fault. Richie didn't even really care that much about the argument, but he still yelled back. Bev ended up getting into it too, playing devil's advocate. 

Stan rubbed at his head, his headache becoming more pressing. 

He decided that while these idiots yelled about it, he'd go talk to Ben. 

He wandered back into the kitchen, surprised to see Dandelion in the house for once. They'd offered to let Dandelion in several times, but it just wouldn't--it didn't like to be anywhere but outside.

The beast sniffed at Ben curiously, ignoring Ben while he tried to lean away as if he had never seen Dandelion in his life. Then suddenly, Dandelion bared its teeth in a poor excuse for a warning for only a second before biting Ben in the neck. 

Stan just watched in silent shock as Dandelion completely tore into him. Dandelion didn't waste the pieces either, it started scarfing them down. 

Stan hadn't even noticed the others had started watching until he realized it was silent. No one said _anything._ The shock was too much for them to even process--that is, until the pieces Dandelion were yanking off began to fall to dust. 

The entire room let out a strangled sigh of relief. 

"It was a Them?!" Eddie suddenly shouted. "Why didn't I feel it?!" 

"Because you're _defective!_ I told you!" Richie shouted. 

Before they could start this screaming match again--thankfully--Bill shouted over them (wearing his own pants now) as he came down the stairs: "I didn't f-feel it either!" he started. "It was t-too weak for us to feel it. It was just a little one that causes m-mischief, but they can absorb power. It came here to do that. They can mm-mimic so long as their target is put under its sleep s-spell." 

"It's a mimic? Like a shape shifter?" Bev asked, looking relieved when Bill nodded. 

"Well that's nice and all," Richie said, "but then where's real Ben?"

As if on cue, knocking came from the basement. 

Everyone spared a quick glance at each other before frantically sprinting down the steps and yanking the door open all at once; almost taking the old thing off its hinges. Sure as hell, Ben was standing there, looking drowsy and confused. "What's going on...?" 

Everyone let out a sigh, but it seemed collectively they sounded more annoyed than relieved. "I'm going to bed." Eddie declared, stomping upstairs, Richie following. 

Bev gave Ben's shoulder a slight squeeze, but even she didn't stick around. Mike and Bill just told him they were glad he was okay before leaving. Ben glanced at Stan, practically begging him for an explanation. 

But Stan didn't have it in him either. 

"The house is a mess, clean it up will you?" he asked, not sticking around to hear the answer. 

And he left Ben just standing there in the aftermath of it all, painfully confused. Stan did feel a little bad for him, but his patience to deal with Ben--even if the other one wasn't real--was utterly worn out. 

He was safe, the Them was gone, and that was what mattered. 

Besides, they could explain later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be back to regularly scheduled drama next week :) 
> 
> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	13. We Cannot Outrun the Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Apologies for this one being a little late again, exams are killing me :') But this was a fun chapter to write, I hope you guys enjoy <3

It had been a little over a week since the incident with Mike, and everyone seemed to have recuperated for the most part.

Everyone except Bill.

He was really trying—it was easy during the day. Mike was gardening, he smelled like soil and sun, and things were just fine. Everyone spent time together, everyone laughed and smiled and carried on.

Nights were a little harder.

He had nightmares every night. The first night was _bad._ Utterly sleepless. But some nights, the nightmares felt far away and out of focus, and they didn’t leave him feeling heavier the next morning. He could forget those within the first couple minutes of waking up, shaking off the haze and going about his day.

The last day or two, though, they were getting progressively worse.

They felt too real now—they stood in the corners of his room, so still it made him wonder if they were there at all. They had teeth and horns. They sounded like thunder—they smelled like blood.

It was so dark, definitely too dark. There should’ve been moonlight, starlight, a street light coming in through the window—anything. But the darkness was thick and suffocating. Yet when he looked down at his hands, he could see the blood there just fine. It filled his palms and spilled over. And he just watched. He should’ve closed his hands. He should’ve done something.

Bill woke up harshly, shooting up in bed with a strangled gasp. Mike was standing there in the doorway, staring back at him worriedly. "I could feel something was wrong," he said quietly, careful not to wake the others. "Can I come in?"

Bill nodded eagerly, his labored breathing beginning to settle down. He looked around, relieved to indeed see moonlight stretching across the room. He looked at his hands; not even so much as a stain. The immense relief that washed over him when he realized it had just been a dream was almost staggering. It had felt so real.

"A bad dream?" Mike asked gently as he sat beside him.

Bill nodded a bit. "Yeah," he sighed, more out of relief than anything else. "But just a dream."

"It must’ve been pretty bad," he said sympathetically.

"Sorry it w-woke you up," Bill laughed bashfully.

"It’s okay," Mike assured with a smile. "Wanna talk about it? What was it about?"

His nightmares were always about the same thing. No matter how they presented themselves, they always came back to losing Mike.

"It was u-um, nothing." Bill lied, "just scary n-nonsense, ya know?"

Mike nodded—he probably knew better, but even if he didn’t, he didn’t press. He never did. Bill definitely appreciated it.

"Well, if you’re alright, I guess I’ll go," Mike said, patting Bill’s shoulder.

"You don’t have to," Bill blurted, quickly shrugging, doing his best to act casual about it. "You could st-stay."

Mike looked surprised of course, but soon all he did was smile understandingly. "Okay." He said softly.

They didn’t say anything else after that, which again, Bill was beyond grateful for. He just didn’t want to be alone after that. They settled in under the covers—Bill had expected himself to be too nervous and not be able to fall asleep, but he did so almost immediately.

He was completely at ease with Mike there with him, and there was something endlessly comforting about knowing that whenever he fell asleep, no matter what he dreamt, Mike would still be there beside him.

When he woke up the next morning, it was again to Mike.

This time, he had stepped out of the room as quietly as he could—he hadn’t noticed he’d woken up Bill, which Bill was fine with; he didn’t want to get up just yet.

He waited until Mike was gone before throwing the blanket over his head, groaning softly to himself.

He had a headache. No, a migraine. Deep and concentrated, stinging and twinging behind his eyes from poor sleep.

Which he couldn’t understand, he had slept fine after Mike showed up. But he still woke up feeling utterly drained, like he hadn’t gotten a second of actual rest.

His eyes stung a bit, he felt actually _exhausted._ But he could already hear the Losers downstairs—specifically Richie, loudly going on about something. He wouldn’t have any luck falling asleep again. He didn’t want to, but he dragged himself out of bed.

Getting down the stairs was the first issue he had to deal with, and he definitely took his sweet time.

When he managed to get to the kitchen, everyone was already there, talking and getting breakfast started. Richie was just as energized as usual, and he was going on some long rant about Eddie’s mom to get a rise out of Eddie. And Eddie always played into it.

Bill sank into one of the chairs, rubbing at his head. He had no idea how he was going to manage to get through the day.

He didn’t get a chance to think about it too much before Mike set a glass of chocolate milk down in front of him. He smiled, then went back to preparing breakfast.

Bill couldn’t help the smile on his own face—it was infectious.

Maybe he’d be fine after all.

And he actually was, for the most part. The headache was annoying but it became less intense as the day went on, and he was able to find himself distracted from it quite a few times.

He was definitely more than ready for bed when it came time for it, though.

He thought he would’ve been exhausted enough to sleep deeply and undisturbed, but he wasn’t so lucky.

Sometimes Bill couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong in his dreams; he would forget them as soon as he woke. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of it.

That’s how he was now, sitting up in his bed—a haze still hung over him, his reality slightly blurred. He wasn’t even sure why he had woken up until he glanced over at his doorway. Mike stood there, smiling.

Bill sighed in relief. They didn’t need to say anything at all this time. Bill just scooted over to allow him some room.

They settled in, but when Bill thought about going back to sleep, a shudder ran through him. "Mike," he whispered, rolling over to face him.

Any words he had planned to say left him then—it was difficult to see with just the moonlight, but Mike was just sitting there, blood dripping off his face. It looked like it had filled his mouth. When had he started bleeding? Why?

Bill shot up. "M- _Mike!"_ he shouted, horrified, but Mike didn’t react at all. He just stared back at him.

Something was wrong. Bill was about to get up and call for the others when Mike gripped his arm, stopping him. Bill gasped, looking back at him—he couldn’t remember if he’d ever been _this_ scared before.

Mike didn’t say anything, but Bill watched as the life drained from his eyes—Bill knew that’s what it was. He’d seen that before.

_I need to wake up now—_

Bill frantically yanked his arm away, and it was then that he actually _did_ wake up.

There was no one in his doorway, no one at his side. But at least now it was relief that gripped him rather than terror. He had been so sure he was awake in his dream, but now that he was _really_ awake, it felt foolish that he’d thought that at all.

He laid back, spending a few moments to just try to breathe.

It had felt so real. His nightmares were so vivid now, he was sure it had to be a result of the traumatic stress from the incident with Mike. It was the only thing that made sense.

Still, it was miserable. And it seemed he’d be suffering through another restless night.

Needless to say, he was exhausted.

And he was exhausted the next two days as these kinds of dreams progressed—it was always Mike, and it was always similar to that last one: Mike came in, Bill noticed something wrong with him, then Bill told himself to wake up and he did just that. If nothing else, he took great solace in the fact he could wake up when things got too much to handle. No matter how real he thought the dream was—how real it felt—once things got too unbearable, his mind helped him out of it.

He was sure, eventually, it would pass. Or he’d get used to it. He didn’t care at this point, he just wanted to get some actual rest.

He was getting desperate. If a Them showed up in the state he was in now, he’d be completely useless—he could barely keep his eyes open, every single minute was a concentrated effort to stay awake.

So, he came up with a few ideas that might help him.

He shut his door all the way. He’d been so paranoid lately that he’d been leaving it open just a bit, but he figured maybe if it was closed, his subconscious wouldn’t imagine Mike standing in the doorway. He considered locking it, but decided that knowing his luck, that would somehow end badly. 

Then, he closed his window and pulled the curtains to. The moonlight only lit a small slit from the gap between them, but he figured if there was no light to work with in his dream, he wouldn’t be able to “see” Mike.

He was so exhausted, he just practically just collapsed into bed. 

This needed to work.

And it did.

But he wished it hadn’t.

He wasn’t dreaming of Mike, sure, but this dream was so much worse.

At first he thought he was alone, just sitting in that clearing—the same clearing they’d fought the Them that killed Mike. But after a few moments, sounds started reaching him. The Losers were there, and they were celebrating the death of that monster.

Bill couldn’t understand why he still felt so uneasy; shouldn’t this be good a dream? Everyone was alive, the monster was dead, they were happy.

But he noticed it soon enough.

There was something else entering the clearing now. It didn’t even bother approaching the Losers, once it stepped into the clearing, it just stood there. Tall and silhouetted. It almost looked like it was feathered randomly, but there wasn’t a single clear detail to be made out. 

Bill scrambled to his feet and over to the others. "We have to g- _go."_

"Why?" Richie asked, looking over his shoulder to where Bill was staring. "What’s wrong?"

"You don’t see it?" Bill asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I see it," Mike assured. "Just stay here, let me deal with it."

"No!" Bill cried, trying to stop him, but he was headed that way already. Bill wanted to go after him but something kept him in his place; he couldn’t fight it even if he wanted to.

The others went back to talking and smiling as if nothing was going on around them. He could barely pay them any mind, though. His eyes were on Mike.

Mike approached the monster as if it were nothing. His entire demeanor had changed, and Bill knew damn well this was getting bad. Mike just stood there before it for a few moments before turning to face Bill. He was at least twenty feet away, but when he spoke, it was as clear as if he was standing right in front of him: “It’s already over. Just let it end.”

And Mike didn’t even so much as move as the monster reached forward and snapped his neck.

The monster was nowhere near them, but the others just dropped like flies the moment Mike did.

The fear running through Bill was becoming too real. He screwed his eyes shut—it was time to wake up.

When he opened them again, that monster was barely three feet away.

Adrenaline spiked through him in half a second and he was sprinting and crashing through those woods as fast as he could. The terror gripping his chest so hard it _hurt,_ the absolutely pounding of his heart, the ache in his lungs—this was _too_ real.

He could see the way out of the woods now. He didn’t turn around even once, but he still knew it was after him.

And right as he reached the way out, the realization hit him:

This monster was real.

The moment he made it out of the woods, he was standing in the doorway of his own room. He knew he was still dreaming—if you could call it that. Whatever this distorted sleep-like state was, it wasn’t normal. This was the work of a Them. And he had no idea how to get out now.

He rushed to his window and peeked outside; the sky was red, but he didn’t care about that. What he cared about was that, for now, he couldn’t see that monster anywhere. He had to figure something out. And _fast._

Bill rushed through the hall, stopping when he saw Richie’s door was open. He was the last one awake, as usual—just sitting on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and listening to low music. "Richie!"

Richie couldn’t hear him, of course. Quickly, Bill rushed over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. Richie didn’t even so much as notice.

He took a breath, trying to focus. They were all connected, surely Bill could get him to at least sense something was wrong. He thought about trying to contact Stan, but he was sleeping, and Bill couldn’t risk Stan thinking it was just a weird dream.

Something told Bill that if that monster found him here, he wouldn’t wake up anymore.

So he just mustered up every bit of power he could manage, and tried to focus on how he felt when he was reading the cards. If he could do that, he must be able to do this.

"Richie!" he shouted again, and this time, Richie scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically.

He quickly rushed over to Bill’s room and God, Bill was so glad he had decided not to lock it earlier.

Richie looked completely dumbfounded, but thankfully, he stepped over to wake Bill up.

The next thing Bill was aware of was that he was in bed, Richie shaking his shoulder lightly. "Hey, you okay? This is gonna sound weird, but—"

Bill shot up with a gasp, gripping onto Richie’s arm. He was awake, _finally._

"I need to t-talk to everyone," Bill muttered. "R-Right now."

"So, _basically,"_ Richie started, "we’re dealing with Freddy Fucking Kruger?"

Eddie elbowed him in the ribs—everyone was sitting around the living room, and they'd all just listened to Bill's story. They had all been tired and grumpy at first, but now everyone just looked completely unsettled.

"How long has this been going on?" Mike asked, doing as everyone else was doing and ignoring Richie’s comment.

"I’m not sure," Bill admitted. "I don’t know wh-what was my own nightmares, and what was the monster." He paused. "I hope n-not long."

"Well…" Bev muttered. "If it’s a Them, then we can handle it." She offered a smile, patting Bill’s arm. "It’s gonna be fine. Why don’t you consult the cards and we’ll handle this, okay?"

Bill smiled a little, feeling himself relax just a bit. He wished he had known sooner—it felt so good to not be in this alone.

Bill took his time reading the cards; he didn’t have a lot of energy at the moment, but he had to figure this out.

"It has a physical body," he read aloud, the information falling off his tongue as soon as it came to him. "It feeds on energy from the host while they’re sleeping. When it feeds, the physical body is dormant and easy to kill. Its presence mostly resides in its own mind and in the host's; it won’t be tracked." He set the card down. "So… I guess we just n-need to find it."

"Any idea where it is?" Ben asked.

Bill hated to admit it, but he did have a hunch. "I think… I think wherever it appears in my dreams, at l-least at first, is where its body is. It d-didn’t move for a long time when it was in the clearing. And it didn’t go v-very far from there. It definitely didn't follow me b-back here." 

"So it’s in the clearing. Let’s go get it." Richie said.

"What if it moved?" Stan cut in. "Plus, if it’s not feeding, it’s not gonna get caught." His tone was definitely hinting at something. Bill’s stomach dropped—he had a feeling he knew what Stan was getting at.

Eddie narrowed his eyes. "You sound like you have a plan."

Stan glanced at Bill sympathetically. "You reached out to Richie when you were stuck in your dreams with it, maybe while you’re sleeping, you and I can contact each other. We won’t be able to find it and kill it unless it’s feeding."

Bill sighed heavily. "So I’ll be bait."

"Hey," Richie said firmly. "Don’t worry, okay? We’re gonna handle it. All you’ve gotta do is sleep and tell us what you see."

Bill couldn’t help the smile on his face; he supposed if he had to do this, it was these Losers he’d want on his side.

He’d be putting his life in their hands, but it’s not like it would be the first time.

"Okay."

Bill and the others were all sitting around a fire.

Things were normal for now, but he was quickly taking note of his surroundings. It was definitely in the woods near their house, but not at the clearing, Stan was right. It was an area nearby, though. It seemed the monster didn’t move all too much.

_What do you see?_

Stan’s voice. First, Bill glanced at Stan just across from him. He was doing as all the others were doing, talking, laughing, roasting marshmallows. It hadn’t come from him, it’d come from the real Stan.

It was faint, like a whisper. And Bill doubted Stan would be able to get more words in clearly like that, but he was connected to Bill in some way and that was all that mattered.

Bill was definitely running on fumes, but he recalled the way he’d spoken to Richie, and tried to recreate something like that. _Ten or fifteen minutes out from the clearing,_ he answered. And he hoped it made it.

Now he just had to stay here, stay sleeping. He just needed to keep this thing with him.

As if on cue, he noticed something in the woods—nestled deep in the shadows of the trees. Red eyes.

It took him a moment to realize everything had gone silent. All the Losers were staring in that direction now too. None of them looked concerned, their expressions were _blank,_ unnervingly so.

But again, it was Mike who stood. "I’ll check it out."

Bill covered his eyes. He didn’t want to see this again.

He just listened to Mike’s footsteps as he walked that way. He waited for what seemed like forever, until much to his surprise, Mike started walking back.

"It’s okay." Mike assured, crouching down to collect one of the skewers they’d been using for the marshmallows. "There’s nothing to worry about." Even as he said it, Bill could see the eyes getting closer. "Bill, don’t look." Mike said firmly. "Just look at me, it’s fine."

Mike tightened his grip on the skewer, turning it towards him.

Bill hadn’t realized everything had gone suffocatingly black until all he could see behind Mike were those red eyes. Everyone was staring at Mike, not a single expression on their face.

Even as Mike stabbed the skewer through his own chest, not one of them reacted.

The moment Mike hit the ground, everything switched abruptly; the woods and sky returned, the Losers were gone, the fire was out—And the Them was standing right before Bill.

"Where are we going?!" Richie shouted, practically rushing out the door the moment Bill passed out.

"The woods," Stan muttered, focusing. "Um. Cleaning…? Minutes—uh."

"Looks like you lost something in translation there, Stan," Richie said anxiously, desperate to get out of here and handle this quick—Bill was completely defenseless. All he could think about was the way he sounded when he called out to Richie; so terrified and desperate. It gave him chills. "Maybe ask for some clarification?"

"I can’t," Stan said with a frown, "he’s not answering anymore."

Everyone glanced around at each other. "Well then we need to move, try and figure it out along the way."

Mike grabbed the shovel on their way out, and based on the look in his eyes, he had full intent to use it.

"Okay, so," Stan muttered as they all went running towards the woods—they knew that much at least. He was focusing hard. "Cleaning...?--Oh, clearing! I definitely heard clearing."

"I guess we can start there and look around," Richie called back.

"Do we have that kind of time?" Eddie asked worriedly.

No one had an answer for that.

"You said something about minutes?" Ben spoke up.

"Yeah," Stan strained. "Maybe five? Or ten…"

"From the clearing?" Richie asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Stan agreed eagerly. "I think you’re right!"

Everyone picked up the pace now, relieved they finally knew where they were going. "You still haven’t heard anything from Bill?" Mike called out as they ran.

Stan shook his head regretfully.

Richie was pretty sure they had never ran so hard in their entire lives; the directions they received still weren’t exactly specific—he supposed you could only be so exact in the woods, but it was nothing more than pure luck that they found the thing so quickly.

It was hard to miss—dawn would break soon, the dark sky overhead was lighter. That extra light made it easy to spot that thing, black as night, just standing there.

It was tall and elongated, feathering on its arms. But it was so dark that looking into it felt unreal, like he was staring a silhouette, despite there not being a shadow around it. It really was completely dormant, it had no idea they were there.

"Alright," Richie said, feeling electricity in his fingertips. "How do we want to—"

Before Richie could ask, Mike connected that shovel to its head like it was no sweat at all. The way it crumpled before him was almost shocking, and Mike wasn’t done there—he had no problem being the one who beat this thing to death all by himself.

"Uh, wow." Richie muttered, watching.

"I, for one, am not surprised." Eddie said.

It was only minutes before the monster fell to dust. Mike tossed the shovel aside, letting out a huff before smiling warmly. "Let’s go make sure Bill’s alright."

"Mikey… I don’t think I’ve ever been scared of you until now," Richie said.

Mike just laughed, which did not help.

When they made it back, Bill was sitting on the porch with Dandelion, waiting. He smiled widely when he saw them, and everyone couldn’t help but smile back. He was okay. 

"I’m so glad you’re alright," Bev said, speaking on everyone’s behalf.

Mike made it to him first, hugging him tightly. "You are okay, right?"

"I’m fine," Bill said; he looked more relaxed than he had in days. Nothing more than tired.

"Alright well if you two are done having your moment, everyone else would also like to hug Bill." Richie said with a grin, throwing his arms around them, feeling the others do the same. "You guys stress me out, just so you know." he added, for good measure. 

Eventually, they managed to let go of each other and head inside.

"So, I don’t know about you guys," Richie announced, knowing already this joke probably wasn’t worth it, "But I am totally in the mood for watching Nightmare on Elm Street--"

He’d barely even gotten the joke out before about three different people smacked him.

Scratch that, it was worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	14. A Fear of Sitting Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> I hope everyone's been doing okay and staying safe! I'm so sorry for how long this chapter took; I had family staying for almost an entire week for my birthday last week, and then trying to get caught up on classes after the left was a mess. BUT I am back, and Matt and I really love this chapter a whole lot, it was one of the first we planned out when we were making reap :) 
> 
> We hope you love it too! (Also, there will still be a regularly scheduled update tomorrow as well ;) )

Richie was pretty sure it was safe to say he had figured out how to use his powers.

They’d fought a handful of small Them here and there, and Richie was able to direct his energy where he wanted it to go. He usually couldn’t see it, but he could feel it—a charged current that he had somehow managed to learn to control.

The most he really did was stun enemies for a few minutes at best, but that in itself had proved to be insanely useful. He couldn’t set an entire Them on fire, or shove ice spears through a Them’s chest, but he was just as capable as the rest of them—and for that, he was so glad. He couldn’t be happier.

It was almost kind of funny to think about how difficult it had been before, and how he had worried he’d never be able to harness it for any good. Back when he couldn’t even power a lightbulb without it exploding.

He grinned, blindly reaching over to his bedside table—rummaging past the trash and cups abandoned there until he found the lightbulb in question.

He held it up in front of him, turning it over a few times as if there was anything really worth inspecting on it. Effortlessly, he brought the lightbulb to life, flickering it on and off as easy as if he were flipping a switch. He could even adjust the brightness of it as he pleased without the bulb so much as overheating.

It was late. He was pretty sure the rest of the Losers were long asleep, as he should be. And he actually considered going to bed for once when someone spoke up:

"Are you still practicing?" 

Richie glanced over at Eddie who stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Lazily, Richie dropped the lightbulb on the bed beside him. "Of course not, I’ve mastered my craft."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said sarcastically, walking over and sitting on the bed. "You have gotten good at it, though, haven’t you?" he gingerly picked up the discarded lightbulb, smiling warmly at it. "You’ve come a long way."

Richie was left dumbstruck by the fondness in Eddie’s voice—he really wished he wouldn’t just pull that on him out of nowhere, there was only so much he could deal with. "Um, thanks." He muttered, 'casually' folding his arms behind his head.

There was so much more he wanted to say. But he didn’t know how to put it into words just how grateful he was. The way Eddie had always known he’d figure it out, constantly pushing him. Richie couldn’t recall a time that Eddie didn’t have complete faith in him.

How was he supposed to find the words to thank him for something like that?

There were other things he should say, too. He spared another glance over where Eddie was just sitting beside him, absently fidgeting with the bulb. He was quiet, but he was comfortable.

Something about it struck a particular chord in Richie. He definitely had something he needed to say.

He sat up somewhat abruptly, clearing his throat as he did so. "Eds—Eddie, I mean," he fumbled. _Off to a bad start._

Eddie looked a bit surprised already, but he gave Richie his attention nonetheless. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Richie assured, glancing down at his hands. If he looked at him now he might lose his nerve. "It’s just—there’s something I’ve sort of been wanting to tell you for a while, so—"

"Stop."

Richie blanched, staring at him wide eyed. Eddie was just sitting there, looking focused. Maybe even upset.

"Sorry? I was just going to—"

"Rich, wait." He said, more adamantly this time. He swung his head to the doorway like he’d caught scent of something. "One of Them is in Derry."

"Oh." Richie muttered, his cheeks burning slightly. He was pretty grateful that this interruption came before he got much further. "We should probably go deal with that."

"Ya think?" Eddie mocked, hopping to his feet. He paused suddenly in the doorway and Richie narrowly avoided walking right into him. He smiled sympathetically back at Richie. "You can tell me whatever you wanted to tell me when we get back, okay?"

Richie felt his face burning again. "Ah… Right."

Eddie nodded. "Let’s go."

They were all following their little bloodhound, and it didn’t take them long to realize this walk seemed sort of familiar.

"Are we going towards the Quarry, Eddie?" Bev eventually asked, voicing what everyone else was wondering themselves.

"Yeah, I think so." Eddie admitted.

"Cool, so it’s either fight in the water in the middle of the night, or risk falling off the cliff in the middle of the night." Richie groaned, already knowing this was going to be a pain in the ass. "Maybe it’s not too late to quit this whole monster hunting gig."

The only one who found that amusing was Bev.

There wasn’t any hesitation as they made their way. They weren’t so foolish to expect it to be easy, they had learned the hard way to never assume that, but they had also reached the point where they knew better than to waste time. They’d face it one way or another, it was better to handle it as quickly as possible.

They stopped only when they were all standing along the cliff’s edge. Everything was still and almost peaceful; the rush of nostalgia hit Richie all at once. "We should really come back here again when we’re not pursuing a monster."

"Speaking of pursuing a monster," Stan started, "where is it?"

"I don’t know, somewhere around here." Eddie scrunched his nose up. "Its scent definitely leads here, but now that we’re up here, it feels sorta…farther away?"

"I have no idea wh-what that means," Bill muttered. He glanced at Mike who just shrugged.

"You’re broken again Spaghetti," Richie said with a grin, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Or maybe it’s just hiding."

"So what should we do?" Ben asked, looking around.

"Allow me." Richie said, clearing his throat. He took a deep breath, then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted: " _Hey!_ Get your ass out here already!"

He barely got the words out before Eddie punched him in the shoulder. "Are you crazy!?" he hissed. Everyone else looked just as panicked and unamused.

Richie busted up laughing. "Oh my god, you guys! Chill out! It’s obviously not going to come out of hiding cause I yelled for it to—"

Just as he said it, the water from the quarry below them began to churn violently.

"God, I hate you." Stan muttered.

Their monster wasn’t shy, that was for sure. It burst out of the surface of the water and came right at them—it was moving so fast the starlight reflecting off the sheen of water on its body disoriented them, making it almost impossible to get a good look at it.

That is, until it reached the top and went completely still.

Richie might’ve said “dragon” at first glance, but that wasn’t quite right. It had a thick frill around its snake-like head, various spikes jutting out of its scales around its face. And its long body was far more like a snake’s than a dragon’s, save for the fact it had a few sets of legs. Including the pair of massive claws that were digging into the cliff, holding itself up as it studied the Losers.

It was dizzying how big it was—its body expanded the whole length of the cliff, yet a part of it was still beneath the surface of the water.

Apparently it had studied them long enough because it suddenly broke the stunned silence, letting out a horrible shriek, revealing its rows among rows of teeth.

"Holy shit!" Richie screamed, scrambling back with the rest of them. "Okay Bill, what do we do!?"

"H-Hold on!" he shouted, quickly grasping at his pocket for his cards. Suddenly, the color drained from his face. "I… I don’t have them on me," he muttered.

"What!?" almost everyone shouted in unison.

"It was the middle of the night, you were tired," Mike said, looking back at that monster. "We’re just going to have to figure this out on our own."

Richie supposed he was right, there wasn’t much griping to be done about it now.

"We can deal with this. It’s just a big Loch Ness monster basically, right?" Richie asked jokingly, wishing someone would agree with him.

"Seems more like a hydra with just one head to me…" Eddie muttered under his breath. Richie pretended not to hear it.

"Well, reptiles don’t like to be cold, right?" Bev said hopefully, her eyes never leaving that monster as she nudged Ben.

"R-Right," Ben muttered, looking nervous—you couldn’t really blame him, though, the thing was colossal. 

He didn’t waste time; he quickly began freezing the water on the things’ scales. It was sort of ingenious actually, encasing the whole monster in a thin cage of ice all over its body. It was obviously draining to Ben, but the fact he could manage this at all was incredible.

It was useless, though.

The thing didn’t even flinch, it just twisted its body slightly and shattered all Ben’s hard work; ice falling into the water below. Clearly, the cold didn’t bother it.

Their water monster shrieked again, striking towards Ben like a snake. In the absolute last second, Bev stepped in front of him and jutted a huge plume of fire in its face.

It didn’t hurt it at all.

All that succeeded in doing was slightly blinding it, so rather than biting into them, it just slammed its head into both of them—sending them flying back. It was effortlessly climbing up onto the cliff with them now in pursuit of Bev and Ben.

Stan stood there, his face twisting in effort, but the monster didn't even so much as notice him--just continued its hauntingly fast approach after Bev and Ben. It seemed its mind was impervious too. 

Mike kicked it dead in the nose, effectively halting it, which was probably the bravest thing Richie had ever witnessed, but he paid for it. The Them growled, a grumble resonating in the earth under their feet before swatting Mike aside. It sent him stumbling right off the cliff.

"Mike!" Richie shouted. He knew the drop wouldn’t hurt him obviously, they’d jumped from here hundreds of times, but Richie was more concerned with Mike now being in the same water with _that_ thing.

And of course, when Mike hit the water, it got the monster’s attention. It casually abandoned the others, beginning to head that way.

"Hey!" Richie shouted, sending as much power as he could right into it.

Much to his surprise, it reacted.

It flinched and went completely still, not even turning towards Richie for a few moments. Just still. Eventually, it slowly swung its head towards him and bared its teeth. Richie hadn’t realized just how damn sharp they were until now…

"So, I guess we found something that affects it, huh?" Richie asked with a nervous laugh, glancing at Eddie.

Eddie returned the nervous smile. "Thank god. Now do me a favor—please shut up and kill it."

Ben and Bev were finally back on their feet. Barely. It looked like Bev’s ankle was sprained at least. And Ben looked so tired out from that last move that he was barely able to help Bev stand. Stan hurried to their side, trying to help support them. So now Richie needed to keep Nessie away from them _and_ Mike. No pressure.

"I should go help them," Eddie said quickly. "Why don’t you zap it again so it doesn’t notice me heading over there?"

"Smart thinking," Richie said, nudging him. The moment Eddie started that way, he released more energy into it.

Except this time, it barely reacted.

It still flinched, but it wasn’t stunned. It was _supposed_ to be stunned—had it just been _surprised_ moments ago?

"Eddie, wait!" Richie shouted, but Eddie had already started running that way.

And Nessie had already noticed him.

It shrieked again—giving chase. Richie's heart stopped. It was _so fast,_ it really did shoot out like a goddamn snake. Luckily, it didn’t try to bite him, it just slammed its head into him.

But it headbutted him hard, sending him absolutely launching into Stan, Bev, and Ben. They all rolled across the ground, various broken branches falling onto them; Eddie’s nose was bleeding and he was completely covered in scratches from Nessie’s massive scales.

Richie was panicking now, letting out everything he had—he could feel the energy vibrating against his palms, but all it was succeeding in doing was pissing this thing off. Bill started throwing as many rocks at its face as he possibly could. It wasn’t much, but what else could he do?

At the very least, he succeeded in stealing its attention from those who were already hurt.

"Bill!" Richie cried frantically. "You need to get away from there, _now_! My power’s not affecting it anymore!"

"It’ll w-work!" Bill shouted back, gasping when Nessie started after him. "You just n-need more!" he barely got the words out before Nessie slammed its hand into him, bringing him down to the ground _hard._ And based on the way Bill cried out, something was probably broken.

"Stop!" Richie screamed, surprised how shrill the sound was.

_"You just n-need more!"_

_Can’t he see?!_ Richie thought, frantically looking for any sort of weapon as he watched Nessie loom over Bill, snapping its jaw open threateningly. _I’m doing all I can!_

"Don’t!" he screamed again—he was out. He had no more power left; he was doing all he could and it wasn’t _working._ It wasn’t enough. As he was looking around, he realized how catastrophic this was. Everyone was hurt. All the people he loved more than anything were too hurt to go on. And definitely too hurt to save themselves.

And Richie was powerless to stop this. He hated feeling like this again. 

He couldn’t find anything, and Bill was going to be dead in a second—that thing moved so fast, there was nothing he could do now even if he did find a weapon. He didn’t have time.

His heart was pounding, tears were stinging his eyes. He could feel his energy, all of it. It wasn’t in his hands anymore, it was everywhere. Just under the surface, pushing against him like he would burst. He could feel the static in his lungs with every breath—could feel it all crawling up his throat.

Out of nothing less than pure, primal desperation, Richie clenched his fists and _screamed._

He wasn’t even sure if he had intended to scream or if it was just what his body did all on its own, but it took him only moments to realize he wasn’t _just_ screaming. He could feel his power absolutely ripping out of him.

Spots were beginning to take his vision the moment he stopped. He couldn’t see a damn thing, and every sound was muffled as it reached him. His legs gave out on him as his mind fell into unconsciousness.

He had no idea what had happened but he hoped more than anything that it did _something._

Eddie couldn’t believe what he just saw.

Nessie, as Richie had named it, was seconds away from killing Bill before probably doing the same to the rest of them. It was utterly hopeless. And then Richie just _lost it._

Out of nowhere, he screamed—if you could call it that. The pitch was too loud, and the air around them visibly shook, Eddie had never seen anything like that. Then lightening, real lightening, struck all around him. Eddie didn’t know if it came from where he stood, his hands, above him—he couldn’t see, it was blinding.

But it traveled with expert precision along the earth, absolutely cracking the ground it traveled along as it went, until every single bolt found home in Nessie. Before Nessie fell to dust, it tried to shriek again, but it was barely heard over the sound of everything else.

And the moment Nessie had been struck, Richie just stopped. He went dead silent and still, and passed out on the spot.

Everyone just sat there in shocked silence.

Until Eddie gasped and scrambled over to him, ignoring the protests of his sore limbs and stinging cuts. "Richie!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside him. He shook his shoulders as hard as he could, but he was just dead weight. "Richie?!" he cried out again, caressing his face. "Hey!"

"He’s okay," Stan assured. "He’s just out cold."

Eddie still wasn’t happy about it, but for now he could be sated with the fact that he was alive. He pulled Richie’s head into his lap, looking over him in disbelief.

He had known he was strong, but this?

He spared a glance over his shoulder, looking over the deep cracks in the ground, the smoke floating off them, the smell of electricity on the air, the leaves and grass around where Richie had stood had completely melted like they'd been exposed to a goddamn nuclear explosion—

This was _devastating_ power.

It took Eddie a moment to realize his ears were bleeding—everyone’s were. Stan’s eyes looked bloodshot. And poor Bill; he had gotten a bloody nose from Richie just blowing up a bulb, now he was completely knocked unconscious. Blood steadily seeping from his nose and ears.

But he was alive. Richie had saved him—all of them.

Mike came sprinting up from behind them, completely soaked in quarry water and panting like he’d ran the entire way back here. He probably had. "I’m back," he choked, "what happened?!"

Everyone just stared at him blankly—how could they even explain?

"A lot," Stan said after a moment. "I think for now we should just focus on getting back home…"

Eddie’s job had just begun.

Bev’s ankle was definitely sprained and needed to be healed; Eddie had healed deep wounds before, but this was a little more intricate. Nothing too bad, though.

It was Bill’s broken ribs that were definitely more difficult, and surprisingly draining. He wondered if it might’ve helped if Bill had been awake, but he was definitely out cold too.

The rest was thankfully just minor bruises and cuts; Eddie could heal those without even the slightest difficulty. 

They decided to wait until Bill came to before they started heading back to the house—it would just be too much to try and carry both Bill and Richie.

Thankfully, once Bill had woken up and it was time to go back, Mike was able to handle carrying Richie home on his back just fine, and they definitely _rushed_ back.

By the time they were getting back, dawn was beginning to touch the sky. It was so early, but as they walked by Derry, Eddie did find it odd that all the lights were off. That is, until they got home and found their power was off.

"Do you think this is because of Richie…?" Eddie asked quietly. "Do you think he could manage a citywide power outage?"

"Definitely," Bill groaned, his head had been pounding since he woke up. "Th-that power was intense."

Eddie glanced worriedly at Richie on Mike’s back; he was still out just as hard as he was when he first fell unconscious. It was a startling amount of power he used back there, and Eddie was beginning to worry it was _too_ much.

Mike carried Richie upstairs to his room and set him down gently. Eddie was the only one who followed them up there, watching worriedly.

"Don’t worry too much," Mike said with a sympathetic smile. "I know you’re worried about him, but if he had that power to expend, I’m sure he can recover from it."

Eddie smiled, appreciating the kindness. "Thank you." He muttered, taking that to heart. Mike was right. He had to be.

Eddie pulled up a chair and sat beside Richie’s bed. Eddie was tired, but he decided he’d wait here for him to wake up instead.

He was sure it wouldn’t be too long now.

Richie had been out cold for three days so far.

The power had come back on the same day they came back, which everyone was relieved about. Bev and Ben made a quick run into town to confirm it had come back on there too.

On the second day, Richie had looked a little warm, so Eddie exchanged his blankets for thinner ones, and went ahead and took his jacket off for him.

Eddie was left standing there, holding that stupid trash jacket in his hands. And the only thing he could do was hug it against him before eventually putting it on.

Needless to say, Eddie spent most of his time in there, waiting. Just waiting for him to wake up. He was alive, and seemed healthy enough, but if he was asleep much longer, his health would surely start to deteriorate.

Eddie tried to heal him. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to heal, but it didn’t work anyway.

All the Losers tried to assure Eddie it would be fine—that he should get more sleep and some fresh air, but Eddie just wanted to be there when he woke up.

This had given Eddie a lot of time to think.

They almost died, and Richie was in this state after saving them. Nessie was unlike anything they’d ever seen before—and sure, every now and then they got minor Them that were relatively easy to handle, but it seemed that they were getting stronger now.

The stakes were getting higher and higher, and this instance was _that_ close, who’s to say it won’t get worse? Even more dangerous?

Richie’s power was so much stronger than they had ever thought possible, and it even left Richie in what could basically be described as a _coma._ So what happened if he needed to use even more power than that? If he had to push even farther?

It was all just beginning to set in and get very real. And it had Eddie thinking about certain things. About Richie.

Eddie had been running circles around Richie for years—pretending he didn’t feel anything for him, and trying to pretend he loved him the same as he did the other Losers. He was sure that somewhere deep down, he had intended to tell him one day.

But after this? It was just making Eddie wonder if there was really time for him to wait any longer...

Eddie steeled himself. He had to tell him. As soon as he was up and feeling okay. He couldn’t wait anymore; he couldn’t _risk_ waiting anymore. At this point, the only thing scarier than moving forward with these feelings was the thought of staying still.

Eddie took a deep breath. Now he just had to wait.

A few more hours had passed, and Eddie had begun dozing off in his chair. He might’ve fallen asleep if Richie hadn’t stirred, making Eddie’s chest do the same.

"Rich?!" he called softly, scooting his chair closer to the bed.

Richie groaned, rubbing at his eyes. "Eds?" he muttered, his voice a bit hoarse, unsurprisingly. "Christ, how long have I been out?"

"A few days," Eddie said, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice—but he had missed him. So much.

"Are you serious?!" he asked in shock, propping himself up on his elbows. He glanced away thoughtfully as the memories began returning to him. "Wow…" he muttered. "From the little bits of it I can remember, I sort of… blew up, huh?"

"Literally." Eddie grumbled.

Richie looked at him and grinned—and God, Eddie had never been so relieved to see that shit eating grin in his entire life. He was back. _Finally._ "What’s wrong? Missed me?"

Eddie’s heart constricted. This was it—he had said he was going to tell him. He was done waiting.

He opened his mouth to speak but Richie spoke first: "Are you wearing my jacket?"

Eddie felt the tips of ears burning. "Uh—"

Richie sat up, looking somewhere between amused and adamant. "Kaspbrak, that is _stealing._ Give it back."

Eddie couldn’t fight the growing smile on his face. "Screw you. You want it so bad, come get it."

For a moment, nobody moved. The air between them was charged and Eddie wondered if that was because of Richie or something else entirely.

Everything snapped in an instant—the exact moment Richie threw the covers off of himself was the exact moment Eddie jumped to his feet and made a break for it.

Eddie let out a laugh that was more akin to a squeal when he felt Richie grab him, wrapping his arms around his middle. Richie wasted no time or momentum in throwing Eddie onto the bed.

They were both laughing like idiots as Richie followed, both of them shoving and grabbing at each other as they tried to get the upper hand.

Eddie laughed so hard his stomach was in painful knots, and maybe that’s why Richie managed to get the upper hand enough to sit on him. "You know what happens now, don’t you?" Richie asked deviously, holding his hands up threateningly.

"Don’t shock me!" Eddie shouted; a laugh strangled somewhere in those words.

But that wasn’t what Richie had in mind—he had something so much worse.

Richie started tickling him mercilessly. Eddie thrashed and laughed so hard he cried, gasping desperately. "S-Stop!" he exclaimed, somehow managing to catch Richie’s hands.

Richie grabbed Eddie’s hands right back and pinned them down. They both stared at each other, leftover giggles falling in the space between them as they tried to catch their breath.

And maybe it was Richie’s flushed cheeks or that glint in his eyes—or maybe that he was awake at all, trying to catch his breath, looking so _alive_ for the first time in what seemed like forever; whatever it was, it caused Eddie’s heart to lurch so hard it forced the words right out of his mouth: "I love you."

The smile fell from Richie’s face and Eddie’s heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach.

He was beyond horrified now that he’d said it—he had been so confident, so sure. _Why_ had he been so confident?

He pushed himself up and out from under Richie, and Richie didn’t stop him. Yet the moment Eddie was on his feet, Richie was on his too; reaching out and grabbing him again.

It took just one fluid tug and he had Eddie turned around to face him. Richie only hesitated for the briefest moment, his eyes darting over Eddie’s, before he kissed him.

And Eddie knew damn well it had nothing to do with Richie’s powers, but the kiss was _electric._

Eddie hadn’t realized just how long he’d wanted this until it was all exploding in his chest now.

"W- _Woah!"_

They pulled away from each other the moment they heard Bill shout from the doorway. Richie glared. "Are you serious? I’ve been asleep for days and you come in here and visit me _now_?!"

Bill looked absolutely dumbfounded. "I… I heard commotion, s-so…"

"Get out."

Bill nodded, immediately rushing out without another word.

Richie sighed heavily and glanced at Eddie. "Is the moment dead?" he asked, his usual joking tone, but he couldn’t hide the deep red on his face.

Eddie was in no better shape, his heart absolutely hammering. "Pretty much." He laughed, a bit shyly. "Besides, you need to get some food and water and stuff." He knew that probably sounded pretty unconvincing, but it was still true whether Eddie wanted it to be or not.

Richie nodded a little. "I suppose I do." He said quietly, reaching down and taking Eddie’s hand in his. He lightly rubbed his thumb over one of the scars webbed out over Eddie’s hands. "Uh, for the record…. I love you too, Eds." He said, giving Eddie a sheepish smile before letting him go, quickly rushing out.

Eddie stood there for a moment, trying to remember how to stand on his own. He didn’t figure it out though; quickly falling back on the bed.

He breathed deeply, placing a hand over his still racing heart.

He smiled.

_Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	15. To Simply be a Human Being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> We love you guys so much and appreciate all the lovely feedback from the last chapter :') Thank you so much!! This one's just laid back, a little break from all the major events that have happened lately and a little breather before more of them happen! Very short and sweet! 
> 
> Also, it was requested that we also make reap available on Wattpad, so if you prefer that platform, reap is now over there as well! My username is the same as here :)

Richie leaned in the window in the kitchen, watching Mike and Eddie garden.

They did this often, actually. About every other day or so. Richie knew damn well Eddie could make those vegetables grow in minutes if he wanted to now. His power had come such a long way; it was becoming less and less draining to him by the day.

But instead, he only gave little boosts of growth every couple of days. Richie smiled to himself—he was sure it was because Eddie just liked to garden with Mike.

Bill walked up and leaned beside him, watching them as well. “So how are you f-feeling?”

It had been a full day since he’d woken up now, and even though he assured them all he felt fine from the moment he woke up, everyone still seemed to keep an eye on him.

"Same way I felt yesterday, Billiard. Just fine."

Bill smiled a little, maybe even sheepishly. "Just m-making sure."

If he was being completely honest, Richie had felt better than ‘just fine’. He’d felt amazing since the moment he woke up. Sure, he had been sore and drained, but Eddie had been there waiting for him. And then everything that happened after definitely put him in a good mood.

He smiled widely to himself, trying to bite it back a bit. Yeah, it had been a pretty great way to wake up.

Of course, Bill had run downstairs and told everyone they were dating immediately after catching them, he was too excited to keep his mouth shut. Richie and Eddie were fine with it though, it saved them the embarrassment of trying to inform the others themselves.

Thankfully, no one harped on it too long. In fact, none of them even seemed surprised… Richie wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

The biggest topic everyone had been most concerned with was Richie’s Meltdown (as they had appropriately named it). They all wanted to know how he did it, but honestly, he didn’t know. He hadn’t intended to. He doubted he could do it again—or if he even should. It seemed pretty dangerous, and it left him completely out of commission for _days._

"Richie!"

Richie looked back where Bev was standing, holding up a little box proudly. "Found the sewing kit," she announced, giving it a little shake. "So which patches did you want me to sew on?"

Bev and Richie had admittedly been busy sewing on patches far longer than Richie had anticipated. 

He was starting to think, as Bev was wrapping a Band-Aid around his finger, that the process might've gone faster if he didn't insist on helping. But he was happy with the result regardless. 

When they made their way back into the main room, everyone was crammed on the couch, watching a movie. 

"Ahem!" Richie declared loudly--they could pause their movie, this was far more important. 

Stan sighed heavily and paused the movie as dramatically as he possibly could while everyone else hesitantly turned to give Richie their attention. "What is it this time?" Stan groaned. 

"Notice anything different?" Richie asked, holding out his arms, giving a little spin. 

"You sewed on more patches to your trashy jacket?" Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"I know for a _fact_ you like this jacket," Richie said smugly, enjoying the way Eddie's face flushed--but Richie continued before Eddie could start yelling at him. "But yes, yes I did. What do you guys think?" 

Ben laughed softly. "Um, what do these patches even mean?" 

Richie grinned. "Oh I am so glad you asked. They're you guys!" 

"Excuse me?" Eddie groaned. 

"Yeah! Got a patch for everybody. Well, almost. I still need to find one for Stan and Mike." 

"Okay, what's mine?" Ben asked enthusiastically. 

Richie happily pointed to a patch of a snowman--it was definitely a patch intended for children, based on the cutesy style, but Richie thought that only made it more appropriate. Ben laughed, looking a little embarrassed. "That's mine?" 

"I think it's really cute." Bev said with a smile. Ben didn't say anything more about it after that. 

"Mine's this one," Bev said proudly, pointing to the patch of a phoenix. 

"Woah that's so c-cool!" Bill exclaimed. "What's mine?!" 

Richie pointed to the patch of a crystal ball, with the words "you're fucked" written on it. Bill looked mildly offended, his expression falling. "W-Wait, can I complain about mine--" 

"Which one's mine?" Eddie asked. 

Richie smiled from ear to ear--this was his favorite one--spinning around and motioning to the large rose patch on the back. Eddie pouted. "What? That one was already on the jacket when you got it, it's literally always been there!" 

"Exactly." Richie said smugly. "Just like you've always been there." 

Eddie blanched, then just sank down in the couch, face red. "Whatever." he muttered under his breath. 

Mike grinned at Eddie. "Someone's feeling--" 

Eddie punched him in the shoulder before he could finish that sentence. 

"You really like this jacket, huh?" Stan asked, but obviously he didn't care that much about the answer cause he turned back to the movie and unpaused it. 

Richie leapt over the back of the couch, dropping down beside Eddie. "I really do," he said, throwing his arm around Eddie as he did so. When Eddie leaned over and rested his head on his shoulder, though, Richie definitely lost some of that confidence as he blushed slightly. 

"Where'd you even get the money for these?" Eddie asked, absently pinching at one of the patches. "Bill spent the only actual money we had on chocolate milk at like, three in the morning." 

Bill crossed his arms. "S-Stan wouldn't take me..." he muttered defensively. 

Richie smirked. "I _didn't_ pay for them." 

Finally, something that got Stan's attention. He looked Richie up and down, eyes narrowing. "Did you _steal_ them? On your own?" 

"Do you know how easy it is to swipe patches? They literally fit in your pocket." 

Stan did not look any happier. He glared at the TV. "Just ask me next time." he grumbled. "That's _my_ job."

Richie couldn't help but laugh, ignoring Stan giving him an increasingly dirty look. The whole thing was actually quite peaceful in its own right; him and his stupid friends, crammed on this one couch, not thinking about any monsters or powers or anything like that. Just them. 

And when Eddie slipped his hand into Richie's, Richie realized that he was pretty happy with how things were in his life right now. Even with the monsters. 

They ended up watching a few movies together before everyone started getting ready for bed. 

Richie was of course following Eddie around as if he had nothing better to do--because he didn't. "You should stay in my room tonight," he said, nudging him slightly. He really did mean it though; he wasn't trying to imply anything, he just wanted Eddie at his side. They had plenty of lost time to make up for after all. 

"Hmm. I dunno." Eddie said, fighting a grin. "The whole night with you? Yikes..." 

"What if I let you wear my jacket tomorrow?" Richie offered, leaning against the wall. "I'll even tell the others I made you wear it so you can still pretend to hate it." he sang, motioning towards his door. 

Eddie crossed his arms stubbornly. "I do hate it." he said, just before walking past him and into the room. "But deal." 

Richie let out a sigh he could only describe as 'love-struck' before stumbling after his little monster. 

Yeah, he was definitely happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	16. But the World Thought Me a Hazard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope everyone's doing well! 
> 
> We hope you enjoy this chapter, we've been pretty excited for this one too--As you will probably soon notice, based off some of the art you may have seen on punkyiggy's insta ;)

Stan was tired of being tired. 

Was it too much to ask for these things to get on some kind of schedule? It was exhausting being woken up in the middle of the night with Bill running through the house to tell everyone one of Them was here--even worse when it wasn't even close by yet. Bill just panicked _the moment_ he sensed one every single time. 

He did suppose trying to deal with them in broad daylight was a bit worse, though. They'd gotten pretty lucky with not running into too many people. And when they did, it was pretty easy to get them to vacate the area; they just had Richie start talking to them. 

But when Stan was dragging his feet back home, drowsiness returning to him as the adrenaline left him, he definitely wished it was any time other than three in the goddamn morning. 

"That one wasn't too bad," Richie announced, dusting himself off as if he had done something other than stand back and send out a few volts while Bev did all the real work. "I think we handled it well." 

"We?" Stan mocked. "Beverly did all the work." 

Richie gasped, offended, but everyone ignored him. "Yeah, great job Bev," Ben said warmly. 

"Thanks," she laughed. "I'm just glad it was weak to fire. Very convenient." 

Richie was still carrying on, of course: "Okay, sure, but we still were all together as a team so--"

"Shut up." Eddie snapped, squeezing Richie's hand he'd been holding. And judging by the way Richie frantically tried to pull away, he was squeezing pretty hard. This was the only upside to having to deal with Richie and Eddie being all over each other all the time. 

"Wait!" Bill said suddenly, looking around. "I think th-there's another one." 

"Another one?" Richie groaned dramatically. "Two in one night, are you kidding me?" he glanced at Eddie with a sigh. "What'cha got, Spaghetti?" 

Eddie stared off for a moment. "It's pretty faint," he muttered, making a hard right and beginning to lead them deeper into the woods. 

"Is it far away?" Stan asked, wishing more than anything that they were anywhere _but_ here. 

"No." Eddie answered, sounding to be surprised himself even. "I think it's just... small?" 

"Oh thank god!" Richie cried. "This'll be easy!" 

"We shouldn't assume it's going to be easy just because it's small," Mike chimed in. "It could still be powerful." 

"You're right Mikey," Richie said with a nod. "Being little doesn't mean things can't be scary and vicious. Right Eddie?" 

Stan just groaned as Eddie punched Richie in the ribs--this was going to be a long night. 

Surprisingly, the scent Eddie was following wasn't that far away. And it wasn't getting any stronger--it was definitely littler than what they were used to. 

Eddie stopped, looking around. "I think it should be around here somewhere..." he muttered. They weren't even in a clearing, in fact, they were in one of the thickest parts of the woods. The trees were doing an excellent job of blocking out what little light they were getting from the moon and early touches of dawn overhead.

Everyone was carefully exploring the area; searching the brush and around rocks and tree stumps. Richie's dumbass was even calling around for it like it was a stray cat. Stan rolled his eyes, and it made him realize there was on place they weren't looking. 

While the others continued their search, Stan looked up into the trees. And sure enough, the second tree he peered into, he caught a glimmer of something gold. 

"Hey guys, I found it," he announced, not taking his eyes off it for a second. Partly because he didn't want to let it out of his sight in case it bolted, but admittedly it was mostly because he was trying to figure out _what_ exactly he was looking at here. 

Everyone huddled around him, peering up at the tree with him. "What is that?" Eddie asked, squinting. 

"I can't tell," Bev muttered. "Should I try and give us some light?" 

"You might alert it or send it into a panic," Mike warned. "It could be dangerous." 

"I got an idea," Richie said, which of course was an absolute nightmare to hear from _Richie._

"Richie," Stan said sharply. "I swear to god if you just yell at it--" 

"Hey!" Richie yelled. "Get down here!" 

Stan probably would've killed Richie if the Them in the tree hadn't moved--a quick blur of gold rushed out from the tree and right past them, sending them scrambling out of its way. It perched on a low hanging branch, and this time they could actually see it. 

It was a _bird._ Well, a Them that _looked_ like a bird anyway. 

It resembled something like a large hawk, but it was all gold, its eyes completely white. The tips of its wings and its beak were white too, and Stan wondered if they were actually that color or if they were just shining that brightly. 

"It's so pretty!" Bev whispered; Stan's thoughts exactly. 

"It d-didn't attack anybody?" Bill asked, briefly inspecting everyone as he dug his cards out of his pocket. 

"Doesn't look like it," Mike said. 

"Maybe it's friendly?" Stan suggested. 

Richie grinned. "We get it Stan, you like the bird." he huffed. "But just because it's pretty, doesn't mean it's docile." 

"It's docile." Mike interjected. 

"Wait really?" Richie fumbled, "you're joking." 

Mike laughed softly. "No! I can't feel a hint of aggression from it." 

"We're not gonna like, keep it though are we?" Richie asked, looking right at Stan. "We probably shouldn't keep a whole bunch of Them. It seems like a bad idea." 

"Well we have to keep track of it," Stan said smugly. "You rather it just go running around until someone else sees it and freaks out? That's just irresponsible." 

"He's g-got a point," Bill said with a nod. 

"Alright, fine! We'll fill the house with monsters, no biggie," he said sarcastically, but there was no real malice in his voice. Clearly, he didn't care as much as he was letting on--but it was Richie after all, he needed to make a show out of it. "How are we gonna get it to come back with us?" 

"We could lure it back?" Ben suggested, looking around briefly. "Maybe we can find something it would wanna eat?" 

"Not a bad idea," Bev agreed, beginning to turn over rocks in search of something it would be interested in. All the Losers quickly started doing the same, searching all over for something the bird might want. 

Except Stan, he just watched them for a few moments before shaking his head. He doubted the bird monster would care about bugs. He glanced over at it, peacefully perched, no longer giving the Losers even a tiny bit of its attention. 

_You want to come with us, don't you?_

The bird turned to Stan; it was smart, it knew exactly who was talking to it. It studied him for a few moments before glancing back at the others. Stan grinned. _You don't have to spend time with them, you can stay with me._

It seemed like it was genuinely considering and thinking about it-- _very_ smart bird. 

In the end, it stretched its wings--which were much longer and much more dazzling than Stan had originally thought--before flying over and landing on Stan's arm the moment he held it out. 

All the Losers stopped and turned, just staring at them. 

"So can we go home now?" Stan asked after a few moments when it seemed their surprised silence was never going to end. 

"Um... Sure," Bill said with a shrug. 

Stan smiled. He decided that tonight could be considered a success.

Of course, he got his much needed sleep, but when he awoke, his time was dedicated to his new friend. 

Stan could speak with it pretty easily, it seemed. Stan doubted it was actually understanding any of the words, but if nothing else, it could understand the intent behind them when Stan spoke in its mind. It also was quite mind-oriented itself, it seemed. It didn't shy away from Stan's mental contact and it even seemed to direct certain thoughts to Stan. 

He spent awhile, just sitting in his room, 'talking' with it. He hadn't realized how much he was enjoying himself until he noticed how many hours it had been. 

Eventually, he figured he should probably go down to see the others so they didn't assume his bird had turned on him or something. The bird very much liked to be perched on Stan's shoulder and his arms, which Stan also quite enjoyed. 

He sat at the table and unsurprisingly, Richie was there in a matter of seconds. 

"So, your bird." 

"What about him?" 

" _Him?"_ Richie asked with a surprised grin. "It's a boy?" 

"Those are the pronouns he prefers." Stan said simply. 

Richie laughed a little. "Okay, respectable, but how do you know that?" 

"I asked." Stan deadpanned. 

"He answers you?" 

Stan was already considering going back upstairs. "Not with words, but I can feel what he's trying to convey when I'm in his head." 

"Okay..." Richie said thoughtfully, and Stan hoped that was the end of it, but of course, it wasn't. "So did you ask its--sorry, _his_ name?" 

"I tried." Stan said, reaching over and lightly scratching at his bird's neck--he happily stretched at the contact. Stan smiled. "But I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me. Again, no words." 

"Ah, okay." Richie muttered, looking over the bird for awhile. "Shiny." 

"Excuse me?" 

"Shiny. That's his name." 

"What, why?" 

"Cause he's _shiny,_ duh" Richie said, as if Stan was the stupid one here. "C'mon Staniel, keep up." 

"His name is not--" 

"Awe, did I hear his name is Sh-Shiny?" Bill asked cheerfully as he walked over, throwing his arms around the bird in question. And surprisingly, said bird did not seem to mind Bill's affections. Stan guessed it was probably because of his shine. 

"His name's Shiny, huh?" Mike asked as he passed by, going to get some water. "That's cute." 

"That's so cute!" Bev agreed enthusiastically from the other room. 

Eddie just sighed as he walked into the kitchen, sitting beside Stan. "Shiny? Shiny sounds like a stupid name Richie would come up with. You totally could've done better, Stan." 

Stan was seconds away from killing someone in the house, and the only person that was completely safe was the bird. And maybe Ben, because he wasn't anywhere near the kitchen at the moment. 

But when Stan brushed his bird's mind, he was happy. 

Stan sighed heavily, rubbing at the side of his head. "I suppose he likes that name." 

Richie laughed victoriously. "Oh hell yeah! Told you!" he teased, absently reaching over to pet Shiny's head. Shiny pecked at him, the peaceful look on his face gone. Richie pulled his hand away in shock. "Stan!" he gasped. "Your bird attacked me." 

Stan smirked, smugly smoothening out Shiny's ruffled feathers. "Don't touch him then. Oh, and his name is _Shiny_." 

Eddie stifled a laugh, but Richie was not amused, looking at the purple welt left behind on his hand. "Geez! Why doesn't Shiny like me!?" 

"Your scent is ridiculously strong." Eddie deadpanned. 

"You're loud." Mike added casually from the other side of the room. 

"You move around a lot," Bev called from the living room. 

Richie pouted. "Okay, first of all, shut up. Secondly, Stan, ask him." 

Stan sighed, pretending to ask. "He says it's because you're stupid." 

"That's not why," Bill interjected, actual sincerity in his voice. 

Stan sighed again, heavier this time. Hopefully everyone got the message that he didn't care about this that much. But he still did actually 'ask' this time. The 'reply' he got was just a mess of light and noise--quite overwhelming. 

"You're a clumsy ball of power, he doesn't like it." 

"Oh please," Richie huffed, looking at Bill. 

Bill gave a smile somewhere between sympathetic and nervous. He looked like he was going to deny it, but in the end, just gestured "sort of". 

Richie glared at Shiny. Shiny glared back. 

This was going to be so much fun. 

As the days passed, Stan learned a lot about Shiny. For instance, Shiny was relatively docile and maybe even lazy. 

Except when Richie was annoying. If he started yelling, making a lot of gestures, or were really getting on people's nerves--Shiny attacked him. Stan honestly couldn't be more amused. 

For the most part, Shiny liked everyone else. 

He very much liked Bill, and it was definitely because of his shine. He was more in touch with the Them and the world surrounding them; Shiny liked the sense of familiarity. He liked Bev and Ben just fine; he was very fond of Mike because Mike pet him every time he walked by, no matter what he was doing; he didn't have any particularly strong opinions on Eddie, except when Eddie would praise Shiny for attacking Richie. Shiny also didn't like Dandelion very much, but whenever he tried to peck at Dandelion, Dandelion simply didn't notice. Shiny gave up pretty quick. 

But of course, Stan was his favorite. 

They could communicate, and Stan was much quieter and less hyperactive than the others. Shiny liked to perch and relax, he wasn't a fan of high energy. He also followed Stan everywhere he went. Stan was very happy with this.

Having Bill around was helpful, though. Bill was the one who knew everything about the Them anyway, he could tell Stan all kinds of stuff Stan wouldn't have even thought to ask about. 

Except sometimes, Bill was absolutely useless in the most frustrating ways. 

He didn't mean to, of course, but Bill sometimes let things slip out that didn't make sense. And he had a terrible habit of not even thinking to explain them. 

Like, for instance, when Stan and Shiny were in the kitchen the other day. Bill walked in to get his chocolate milk, but of course he paused to give Shiny some love on his way out. Bill laughed softly as Shiny stretched his neck so Bill could have an easier time petting him. "What a good boy," he said affectionately. He grinned at Stan knowingly. "Better keep th-this one away from the spoons." Then he winked, as if he and Stan were in on some joke, and then just walked away. 

"Bill, what does that mean?" Stan called, but he had already disappeared up the steps. "Bill!?"

So now Stan would be thinking about whatever that meant for the rest of his life. 

Other than that, things were great, if not a bit chaotic sometimes. Stan supposed adjusting to having a monster pet inside the house was a little different than adjusting to Dandelion sleeping in their yard every now and then. 

Though, it wasn't impossible to find peace. 

After things in the house had mostly gone back to normal and everyone had calmed down about Shiny, Stan decided to take Shiny with him for a little 'errand' in the woods. 

The group was pretty strict about not splitting up, and especially not slipping off without telling anyone where you were going--all he did was quickly call that he was going 'out' on his way out the door--but he didn't plan to be gone long. And he weirdly felt quite safe with Shiny. He was a vicious little thing, and if nothing else, he was fast. He could go get the others if necessary. 

Stan wasn't worried about it, though. He was just excited. 

He walked through the woods for only a little bit before he found a spot he thought would be pretty good. He sat back in the grass, then set Shiny down at his side. He peered around the trees for a bit until he spotted one, pointing out the little bird to Shiny. 

Shiny's head curiously and thoughtfully tilted from side to side as he watched the little bird hop along the branches, never taking those wide white eyes off of it. 

Stan laughed softly. It seemed Shiny enjoyed bird watching as much as he did. 

Stan scratched at Shiny's head, and couldn't help the smile that found his face as Shiny abandoned his interest in the bird, leaning into Stan's touch like it was the only thing that mattered. 

Stan's heart warmed just watching him, completely forgetting about the little chirping creatures overhead that he had come all this way to see. 

It seemed Stan had finally picked a favorite bird. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	17. And Not the Untamed World we Hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Sorry this one's so late, I was house sitting all weekend! But I also successfully made it through my finals the other day and now have summer break for the first time in a long time--pretty much since I started college :') Anyways, please enjoy; a lot of people have been waiting for this chapter ;)

The Them had been more active lately. 

For the past week or so, there'd been one everyday. And now, as they were all trailing behind Eddie with as little enthusiasm as possible, Eddie was mentioning that he thought he could feel _another_ one nearby that they'd have to deal with. Which meant once they found and dealt with the one they were currently pursuing, they'd immediately have to go find the other one. Richie was not looking forward to this.

Richie dragged his feet and groaned, glaring up at the sun overhead. It wasn't even that hot out, but having to constantly hike through the woods was definitely making him much warmer than he'd like. "Are we almost there?" 

"Yes," Eddie snapped. "Now shut up." 

Richie huffed, glancing at Bev. "Do you think that counts as abuse?" 

"For you? No." she answered, and Richie almost couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

Richie was about to continue to whine, mostly just so he could watch Eddie get all pissed off, but there was rustling in the brush nearby. "Is that our monster?" Stan asked, glancing at Eddie for confirmation--but by the way Shiny was pacing across Stan's shoulders, feathers puffed up as he glared in that direction, it seemed pretty obvious. 

Eddie didn't even have a chance to answer when something came shooting out at them--at Richie, specifically. 

Richie didn't get a chance to get a good look before it crashed into him; the moment it did, he shoved it off him. Much to his surprise, it was _easy_ to shove it off of him. He wasted no time in scrambling to his feet, taking a few steps back to put some space between him and it. 

Any alarm Richie had dropped as he stared at it. " _This_ is what we're worried about?" 

It was little. Standing on hind legs, maybe three and a half or four feet tall. It was furry, and the only sort of threatening thing about it was its claws. Its snout was long, resembling a goat, or maybe a rat. It definitely had goat eyes, though, that were staring at Richie with a rage in them comparable to an angry chihuahua. Angry gibberish and squawking pouring incessantly from its mouth. 

"So small..." Bev said, looking almost amazed. 

"And royally pissed off." Richie added. "So it's basically mini Eddie."

Now both the Eddies were glaring at him. 

The mini one, however, did not have as much patience for Richie's bullshit as the actual Eddie. The little monster came rushing at him again--and if nothing else, that little bastard was fast. It jumped high too, right against Richie's chest, knocking him off his center of gravity and sending him stumbling to the ground with this angry little demon trying to claw his eyes out. It was easy enough to hold back, but it was relentless. It clawed and growled and struggled endless, shouting garbled nonsense. "Uh, a little help!" Richie yelled somewhat frantically. 

When help didn't arrive, he looked over to see the Losers _laughing._

"Unbelievable!" he shouted. He had to do everything himself. He sent a few volts into it, and much to Richie's shock, it only slowed it down a little bit. This little thing was running on pure rage filled willpower, it was almost impressive.

"Okay, haha!" Richie shouted again. "Can someone get this off of me now!?" 

Bev was finally pulling herself together, wiping away tears. "Okay, hold on--" 

Another Them came crashing into the Them attacking Richie, sending it flying. The newcomer didn't let mini Eddie get any freedom, though. Before the tiny, angry thing had even hit the ground, this giant dog-like monster had it in its mouth, absolutely ripping it apart. 

None of the Losers were laughing now. They were all dead silent, watching in shock. 

Except Eddie, who rushed to Richie's side and helped him stand up, clinging to his arm. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Richie thought they should probably try and get the drop on this beast while it was busy killing the other Them, but he was far too shocked to think beyond that. 

Finally, there was nothing left for the Them to tear apart; all the pieces had fallen to dust. 

It turned slowly, its maw hanging open and its teeth stained red. It looked Richie right in the eyes, and Richie felt his blood run cold. 

Until the Them just sat down and wagged its tail, staring at them. Its eyes had looked so evil and bloodthirsty just seconds ago, but they were wide and curious now. Its ears straight up now rather than pinned back. It looked like nothing more than a giant, stupid dog. 

"Is it... gonna attack us?" Eddie asked after a moment. 

"Uh, I don't think so." Richie said, shrugging. "Maybe it's friendly, too." 

"Please, we just watched it rip apart another Them!" Stan hissed. 

"So?!" Richie defended. "It was protecting _me!_ Your freaking bird has done more damage to me than this dog has." 

"It's not a dog," Ben reminded. "It's a monster." 

"A monster dog, whatever," Richie muttered, taking a step forward. 

Eddie clung tighter to Richie's arm, yanking him back. "Are you crazy?!" he demanded. "What if it kills you!?" 

"It'll be fine, Eds," Richie said dismissively, glancing back at Mike and Bill. "Is it gonna kill me?" 

"I don't think so, actually." Mike admitted. 

Stan groaned, which Richie found ironic, considering Stan had just had this exact instance with Shiny barely a week ago. Richie rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward, and Eddie thankfully let him go this time. "Hey there." he said, holding out his hand. 

Richie had expected it to approach slowly and sniff his hand like he'd seen in movies, but the monster just walked right over to him with no hesitation, rubbing against Richie's hand. "Awe," Richie whined, his heart immediately melting. "It's friendly! We're keeping it." 

"We're gonna keep _another_ one!?" Ben asked in shock. 

"Yeah, don't you think a giant dog is a bit much?" Stan asked, crossing his arms. 

"Shut up, Stan, you have a big ass bird so your opinion isn't valid." Richie snapped, crouching down and eagerly petting his new friend. "Besides, _my_ monster is useful. It fights on my behalf." 

"So does mine," Stan muttered under his breath, but at least he stopped complaining. 

"So we're ta-taking it home, then?" Bill asked excitedly, once again very eager about their new "pet". 

Richie beamed, scratching the dogs ear. "Wanna come home with us?" he asked, laughing when the dog nuzzled against his face. "Okay, okay!" he grinned, grabbing its face. "Good... girl?" the dog stared back at him blankly. "Good _boy?"_ That time, Richie got licked in the face--he'd take that as a yes. 

He was actually quite pretty; his colors were nothing like a real dogs--made up of soft purples, but that in itself was awe-inspiring enough. His fur was much softer and sleeker than most dogs, and those big purple eyes were constantly full of love and warmth. 

"So what're you gonna call him?" Eddie asked, finally wandering over. He hesitantly pat the dog's head, earning a tail wag. 

"Freddie." Richie said without hesitation. He had always wanted a dog, and had that name picked out from the very beginning. 

"That is the stupidest name I've ever heard," Stan groaned. "You come up with the worst names." 

"As in Freddie _Mercury,"_ Richie defended, crossing his arms. "It's cultured." 

"It's still stupid." 

"Anyway," Eddie cut in. "Let's go home, I can't deal with you guys anymore." 

Richie smiled down at Freddie, who was already staring up at him. "Ready to go home?" 

Something in Freddie's eyes absolutely lit up, as if he knew the word. His tail wagged absently and he never took his eyes off Richie, but Richie knew that was a definite, resounding 'yes'. 

Dandelion actually spared them a glance for once as they headed inside. Freddie was more than thrilled to meet Dandelion, but judging by the way Dandelion got up and left, the feeling wasn't mutual. 

Obviously, it was impossible to miss the fact that Freddie was big. It was maybe just less blaringly apparent in the woods--now though, everywhere Freddie walked, he bumped into something, knocking quite a few things down. 

Stan surveyed the room briefly, watching as Freddie wagged his tail, completely decimating the lamp near him in the process. "I'm leaving." he announced, not so much as a goodbye as he disappeared up the stairs. 

"Y'know," Richie said, "I'm starting to think Stan isn't a dog person." 

Eddie laughed, plopping back on the couch. "Or maybe he's just not a _giant_ dog person?" 

Richie grinned. "Nah, that seems unlikely." he said sarcastically, taking a seat beside Eddie. 

They watched silently for a moment as Bill sat on the floor and held out his arms, letting Freddie absolutely maul him with affection. Mike and the others were in the kitchen, getting ready for dinner. And sure, it's not like they were alone, but it sort of felt like they had a little moment of privacy. 

Richie scooted closer to Eddie, putting his arm around his shoulders. He'd done it a million times, but now that they were actually together, he was much more self-conscious about it. He pulled Eddie in against him just slightly. "So Spaghetti, what're your opinions on our new dog? Because knowing you, I'm sure you have _plenty_ of opinions."

Eddie couldn't help the grin that twisted his face, lightly punching Richie in the side. "Shut up!" he said, laughing softly. "I think he's just fine. Very sweet. And seems useful to the group." 

"Okay," Richie said with a nod. "But what else?" he glanced over at him. "Something's bothering you." 

"It's not Freddie." Eddie assured, chewing on his lip thoughtfully for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. That was never a good sign--that meant he'd been thinking about it for awhile, and he was trying to decide where to start. "I've just noticed lately how many more Them there are," he started, "and I'm just wondering if it's because we're keeping them as companions now, and maybe their presence is attracting more? Or..." he trailed off. 

"Or?" Richie urged. 

Eddie looked over at him, the worry evident in those eyes. "Or if there's something else going on." 

Richie hadn't really considered it. He didn't even think twice about there being more Them; obviously, he should've been. Eddie was right, this wasn't normal. He doubted that more were just showing up for the hell of it. As more time passed, shouldn't they start to deplete? 

But Richie didn't have the answer to that. And that look in Eddie's eyes suggested he needed Richie to either give him the answer or assure him things were going to be alright--Richie was good at the latter. 

"I don't know what's going on," Richie admitted. "But I do know that we're going to be just fine. It's not like we can't handle whatever's going on. Plus, there are obviously docile Them. Maybe an increase in Them doesn't necessarily mean an increase in _aggressive_ Them." 

The line of logic wasn't bad, but both of them just knew it wasn't that simple. They both had the good graces to ignore it, though. They weren't looking for the answers right now, they were just looking for something to cling to that made sense. Living with this much uncertainty all the time was exhausting to say the least. 

Eddie nodded, a grateful smile on his face. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe we'll just end up with a bunch of pets." 

They laughed, and it seemed that brought them to Freddie's attention. Without thinking twice, Freddie jumped on the couch and onto Eddie, absolutely crushing him. Richie wished he could've said he saved him right away, but he had to spend _awhile_ laughing his ass off at Eddie's enraged shouting, and Freddie's obliviousness to it all. 

Stan only came back down when dinner was ready. 

Everyone was sat at the table, Freddie sitting behind Richie's chair patiently. Freddie learned quickly, which was good--it made it easier to teach him not to jump on people, considering he could absolutely crush them. Eddie was still pouting. 

As Richie ate and occasionally threw a smile over his shoulder at Freddie, he noticed Freddie staring at him intently. 

"Are you hungry?" he asked, and Freddie's ears perked up in response. 

"Hey Stan," Richie said thoughtfully, "does Shiny eat?" 

"No, not really. He just collects shiny stuff from around the house and hoards it under my bed." 

"So, what you're saying is... I named him appropriately?" Richie asked, enjoying the way both Shiny and Stan looked at him like they were going to kill him. "Anyway," he continued, "Dandelion eats. I think Freddie wants some food." 

"Why don't you try feeding him after dinner?" Mike suggested. "I'm sure we'll have some leftovers. You can figure out what he likes."

Richie nodded, reaching back and giving Freddie a little reassuring scratch before focusing back on dinner. 

"So that's a no on broccoli, then?" 

Freddie just sat there, ears flat against his head as Richie held it out to him. Richie sighed in defeat and dramatically slumped backwards in his chair. "That's all the leftovers from tonight--I tried giving him chicken, rice, and vegetables and _nothing."_

Eddie was seated nearby, drawing bored circles into the kitchen table. "Why not just ask Bill what he eats?" 

Richie blanched for a moment before sitting upright. "Eds, you're a genius, what would I do without you?" 

"Never feed your dog, apparently." 

Richie chose to ignore him, eagerly calling Bill over. Bill begrudgingly abandoned his movie with Mike and walked over. "What?"

"Can you tell me what my dog eats?" 

Bill looked like he wanted to whine about it, but when Freddie looked at him, Bill just smiled in defeat. "Okay." 

Richie sat as quietly and patiently as he could as he watched Bill read the cards, but the wait was what always killed him. _Finally_ Bill set them down. "Th-that's interesting. He's an ovotarian." 

"Excuse me?" 

"Like... Oophagy?" 

Richie was pretty damn sure Bill was making words up now. "Billiard, I asked for his diet, not his damn religion." he snapped. "What the hell does he eat?" 

"It's eggs, you idiot." Eddie interjected. 

"Oh." he hopped up, patting Freddie's head. "Well, I guess I better start cooking up some eggs." 

Eddie groaned. "I'm going to bed, good luck." Even when he was being bratty, he did stop to give Richie a kiss before heading up the stairs. Bill was already back in the living room with Mike. 

Richie huffed, glancing over at Freddie. "Guess it's just you and me. Lucky for you, eggs is one of the only things I know how to--and actually kind of like to--cook." 

Richie did not like cooking eggs anymore. 

He'd been at this for hours. He tried scrambled and Freddie didn't want that, then he tried fried, over-easy, poached; he even made a damn omelette. It was the middle of the night and all he had to show for it was egg shells scrambled around the kitchen and an endless amount of cooked eggs he had no purpose for. He supposed if nothing else, he made breakfast for the Losers tomorrow. 

Richie dramatically slid against the counter until he was seated on the floor, exhausted. "Freddie, you gotta help me out here buddy. I don't want you to be hungry, but I don't know what to do." 

Freddie made something akin to a warped whine as he laid beside Richie, resting his head on Richie's lap. 

"Wh-What are you guys... doing?" 

Richie sighed as Bill walked into the kitchen. "I don't even know. I'm trying to find a way he'll eat eggs, but he's not interested."

Bill poured himself a small glass of chocolate milk. He quietly sipped it as he looked over the mess of a kitchen. Once he had silently drank almost half of it, he just looked at Richie. "Raw eggs." 

"What?" 

"That's wh-what he eats." he said simply. 

Richie scrambled to his feet. " _Why_ didn't you tell me this sooner?!" 

Bill crossed his arms, pouting. "Cause you y-yelled at me earlier." 

Richie couldn't even begin to think of any way to deal with this when he heard the familiar sound of eggs breaking. He was surprised to see Freddie had yanked the other carton of eggs out of the fridge and onto the floor and was now happily eating them like he hadn't eaten in years. 

"I should've just left the fridge open sooner..." Richie muttered. 

Bill finished off his cup, watching Freddie eat. "M-Mike's gonna kill you for using all the eggs." The warmth in Bill's eyes suggested he was on Richie's side, though. 

"I know." Richie said softly, smiling wider as he watched Freddie's tail happily swing back and forth. "I think it's worth it, though." 

Finally, Richie could go to bed. 

He had no idea making a bunch of eggs for a few hours could exhaust him this much, but he was more than eager to rush into his room. Much to his surprise, Eddie was in his bed, asleep. Hogging all the blankets, as usual, but it was still a nice surprise. "My favorite little monster!" he said excitedly, practically running over to the bed.

Running was a bad idea. Richie's excitement ignited Freddie's excitement. 

Freddie broke into an excited sprint towards the bed and Richie couldn't stop him from jumping on Eddie and drowning him in love. Eddie shouted, particularly at Richie, but all Richie could do was smile. 

His favorite little monster, and his favorite big monster. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	18. When it's the Universe Condensed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> I hope everyone's doing well and hanging in there :) Here's a short, light hearted little chapter. And perhaps there is some,,, Hanbrough?? I hope you enjoy ;)

It was a lovely day out. 

The sun overhead was warm, but not scorching. The soil in the garden was doing very well, and Mike always had so little deadheads to trim off the plants--though he wasn't sure if he could congratulate himself on his gardening, or if it was simply a product of Eddie's shine. Mike noticed pretty early on that Eddie didn't make the plants grow very much, definitely not as much as he could, but Mike didn't comment on it. He enjoyed their time together. 

Dandelion was sleeping soundly beside Mike, and things were calm and quiet. 

Until Richie poked his head through the window. "Eds, you're _still_ gardening? I'm severely running low over here." 

"Running low on what?" Eddie groaned. 

"On getting bullied, obviously. It fuels me." 

"Get away from me," Eddie said with a sigh, but he was fighting a smile as he was ignoring Richie's whining and inspecting the tomatoes. "It's almost there," he said with a smile to Mike. That excited spark in Eddie's eyes was proof enough to Mike that he definitely preferred taking the actual time to garden than using his shine to speed up the process. The reward was much sweeter when you worked for it. 

"Yep, only a couple more days now," Mike said with a smile. 

The only thing they had to do now was go collect the fruit from the trees--now _that_ was when Eddie's shine especially came in handy. He completely aged up the trees the day they planted them, and now the fruit was ready to be picked. They may have cheated a little bit, but they were still both very excited and ecstatic to see the fruit was finally ready. 

As they were picking some apples and dropping them into the basket, Eddie paused. "Wait, do these apples smell like anything to you?" 

Mike looked down into the basket quizzically. "Uh, no? They usually don't smell like anything until you cut them open...?" 

"Then what is that I've been smelling?" Eddie muttered, more to himself than Mike, standing on his tiptoes and pushing the leaves aside like he was looking for something in the tree. 

Mike was about to suggest that maybe Eddie go inside and get out of the sun for a little while when a cat's head poked through the tree next to them. Or at least Mike thought it was a cat, at first glance. Noticing its horns, however, was a dead giveaway that it was another Them. 

"Aha!" Eddie shouted. "There is it! I knew I smelled something!" he glared. "Oh my gosh, they're coming to our house now. This little pest better have not eaten any of the fruit." 

Mike just laughed. "The fruit seems fine." he smiled at their little visitor, who was staring at Eddie. "I think it likes you." 

Eddie groaned. "The last thing we need is another pet." he put on the toughest voice he could as he shouted: "Hey! Get out of here!"

Instead, the little monster happily walked out onto one of the branches, stretching its wings as they came into view; a long tail spilling out over the side branch. It tensed slightly, as if it were preparing to jump on Eddie's shoulder. 

"No!" Eddie shouted, backing up. "Get out of here!" 

Again, the little monster didn't catch a single word. Just beamed at Eddie. 

Freddie came running outside at the sound of Eddie yelling. He froze when he saw the little monster in the tree, then began excitedly hopping around and rolling on the ground underneath it, tail wagging. It seemed Eddie was the only one here who didn't like the newcomer. 

Eddie huffed. "I'm going inside." he gave Mike a pointed look. "Do _not_ be nice to it. I want it to go away." he said, before stomping inside. Freddie followed him the moment he noticed he had started walking off. 

Mike just smiled and shook his head, finishing up collecting the last bit of fruit. The little Them was still seated there, staring at where Eddie had disappeared inside. Mike reached out and gave a little scratch under its chin, laughing at the way it eagerly tilted its head back. "He'll be back, I'm sure he'll warm up to you." he assured, then went and headed inside himself.

He placed the basket on the table, admiring the four perfect apples inside. He made a mental note to start planting other fruit trees--with Eddie's shine, they grew quick and they were great quality.

"H-Hey, what'cha got there?" 

Mike smiled warmly as Bill wandered over, sitting on the table and peering inside the basket. Bill's eyes widened. "Woah, fruit!?" he looked at Mike in shock. "Is that wh-what that tree you planted was for?!" 

Mike couldn't help but bust up laughing. "Well yeah! What did you think I was planting a tree for?!" 

"I had no idea," Bill admitted, turning his attention back to the apples. "I thought m-maybe you just wanted another tree..." 

Mike couldn't help the laughs that still bubbled out of him. His chest was so warm--it was easy to lose track, sometimes, which feelings were his own and which ones belonged to the others around him. But there was something about the way Bill made him laugh without trying, or the way the sun was streaming in and hitting his eyes right now as he stared at the fruit like it was _magical,_ that made Mike completely positive. _This_ feeling was all his own. 

"It's so cool we have our o-own fruit," Bill said dreamily. 

"Our own fruit?!" Richie called from the doorway--his talent for barging in as loudly as possible was truly unmatched. He ran over, peering inside, looking amazed--Freddie getting excited about Richie's energy and beginning to do laps around the kitchen. But Richie's attention was on the apples. "Wow look at that! I bet this was all your handy work, huh Mike? I bet Eddie's useless." 

Mike just stared blankly at him for a minute, trying to decide if he was joking or not. "We got these in a few days, Richie, apple trees take at least five or six years to start bearing fruit all on their own. Of course Eddie did this."

"Nah." Richie said, taking an apple. Then he just left. 

"At least the apples are a big hit," Mike laughed, making Bill do the same.

Except none of the Losers really ate anymore of the apples, which was weirdly disappointing. 

Mike commented on it briefly to Bill, who assured him they'd want some around dinner. Which made sense--it wasn't often they hung out in the kitchen very long. Between tracking down and fighting Them, everyone was pretty much all over the place all the time. It was sort of an understatement to say this house was in constant chaos to some degree. 

Whenever it was nearing evening, Mike wandered into the kitchen. He always went in a bit early to get dinner started. 

Bill was sitting at the table, reading, surrounded by a few apple cores. Mike's heart jumped up at the sight of it, and he couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest. "Did you eat the rest of them?" 

Bill smiled, shutting his book. "Figured I ha-had to before the others got to 'em." 

Mike laughed softly. Richie came wandering in, as he always did when it was nearing dinner time--Eddie begrudgingly following--and gasped when he saw Bill. "Did you eat all the apples?!" 

Mike hurried to the kitchen to avoid the fight that was about to break out, but he did call over his shoulder that there'd be more in a day or two. 

When Mike made dinner, he often used his shine that allowed him to peek into past memories left behind. It was somewhat therapeutic to collect the dishes and feel the memory of Ben washing them, Bev at his side the entire time. Or when he opened the fridge and could feel the many, _many_ memories of Bill wandering into the kitchen at three in the morning for chocolate milk. Those were his favorite. 

There was also some memories of Shiny getting into the silverware and occasionally stealing a spoon, but Mike had no idea what he was supposed to do with that information, so he just decided to not think about it much. 

Today, though, there was a memory left behind that Mike found useful to shutting up Richie and his complaining at Bill. 

Mike walked back into the kitchen, laughing at the way Richie and Bill were actually arguing about this--those two were just dumb enough to be able to fight about literally _anything._ Freddie was running circles around the table, barking in excitement. Meanwhile poor Eddie was just sitting there, looking like he was seconds away from losing his mind. 

Mike cleared his throat and everyone shut up. "Hey, Eddie and Richie? Could you guys not make out on the kitchen counter anymore? It's an uncomfortable memory when I'm trying to cook." 

Bill threw his hands over his mouth to hold back laughing, which he completely failed at. Richie looked surprised, then just grinned--which of course, caused Eddie to punch him in the arm. Eddie's face was completely red as he grabbed Richie by the back of the shirt. "We're leaving them alone now." he growled, yanking Richie away. Freddie went bounding after them, tail wagging the entire way. 

Bill busted out laughing, wiping tears away as he looked at Mike. "N-No way!" 

Mike smirked. "I wasn't lying. Though, I will admit, it's not that distracting--I can just stop reading the memory." he winked. "I just wanted Richie to leave you alone." he shrugged. "They make out everywhere." 

Bill looked somewhere between touched and disgusted. "Thank you. B-But don't tell me about where they m-make out, please." 

By dinnertime, Eddie had recovered from his embarrassment, and Richie was no longer complaining about the fruit. 

Everyone was talking and laughing as they ate; Freddie at Richie's side, eating as well. Mike, of course, put some eggs in a bowl for him. He supposed it should've felt weird to crack open a few raw eggs into a bowl for their monster dog, but at this point, nothing in their lives really weirded him out anymore. 

Eddie stopped suddenly, looking around. "Do you guys smell apples?" 

Richie was at attention in a second, wide-eyed, at the mention of apples. Bill, however, just pointed out the window. 

Sitting outside was the little cat-like monster from earlier, its eyes trained directly on Eddie, just like before. Eddie narrowed his eyes at Bill. "You _knew_ that thing was here and you didn't say anything?" 

"I met it this morning when it f-first showed up. It's friendly." he said casually. 

"It's a pest." Eddie grumbled. 

"Awe, hi Pest!" Richie called, waving to it. 

Eddie glared. "Don't name it! It sits in the fruit trees, it's annoying. Not to mention, we don't need another Them around here. They're probably attracting more." 

"Awe, but it likes you," Richie said with a smirk, nudging him. "Don't you want a pet too?" 

"No." Eddie deadpanned, glancing at Mike. "You better not have been nice to it earlier." 

"I didn't," Mike lied smoothly, "I told it to get lost." 

"See?" Eddie asked, crossing his arms. "It doesn't even listen." 

Richie just grinned and glanced around the table. "Who wants to bet Eddie has a pet cat monster by the end of the week?" 

Everyone agreed with him without a moment of hesitation. Eddie was not happy about it. 

Whenever Mike was collecting everyone's dishes, and everyone was beginning to disappear for the night, Bill wandered over to him. 

"You d-didn't actually tell that cat thing to get l-lost, did you?" 

"Of course not, I pet it." Mike said with a grin, making Bill do the same. 

"I knew it." he said simply, helping Mike finish collecting the dishes and bring them over to the sink. "Alright w-well, I guess I'm gonna head to bed." 

"Goodnight," Mike said with a smile. 

"Yeah," Bill muttered. He fidgeted awkwardly for a second before kissing Mike's cheek as fast as he possibly could. "Th-Thanks for the fr-fruit," he stammered, rushing out of there and half-running half-falling up the steps. That boy didn't have an ounce of grace in his entire body. 

And Mike was left just standing there; laughing at Bill's frantic, clumsy escape as that familiar warmth spread in his chest. 

He was so glad this happened in the kitchen. This was definitely a memory he'd look back on often. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	19. We Don't Dare Disturb the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Hope you're all doing well and that you enjoy :)

Eddie woke up violently, gasping hard. 

One of Them was nearby. 

Richie didn't even stir, he slept like a _rock;_ but Freddie--who was currently draped on top of Richie like he was some little lap dog--raised his head, looking at Eddie with concern. 

"It's okay," Eddie breathed, reaching over and patting his head. 

He glanced over, finding some comfort in the fact it was morning. At least they got to sleep through the night this time. Richie was definitely going to endlessly complain, though. It didn't matter what time of the day they went, he whined about it. 

Eddie sighed as heard haphazard footsteps running down the hall towards them. He didn't so much as look away from the window when their door swung open, and Bill stood there, disheveled; his hair everywhere. "O-One of Them is--"

"I know," Eddie hissed, not sure why he was trying to get Bill to be quiet, Richie was going to have to wake up soon anyway. And even if Bill's clumsy ass running down the hall and practically falling into their doorway didn't wake him, Freddie's now wagging tail at the sight of Bill would surely do the trick. "You don't have to freak out every time--" he stopped mid sentence. It was actually really close by. 

"Yeah!" Bill shouted, instantly recognizing that look on Eddie's face. "Told you!" 

Richie finally woke up as Freddie's tail started wagging harder as Bill got louder. He grumbled, grabbing his tail and holding it in place. "Why are you guys awake?" he groaned, as if he hadn't been through this a hundred times. 

Eddie rolled his eyes and grabbed his pillow, smacking Richie in the face with it. "Why do you think? Get up." 

Bill went scurrying off to go loudly wake everyone else up. Richie glared. "You could nicely wake me up, ya know? Try kissing me next time, maybe I'll complain through the day less." 

"Unlikely." Eddie huffed, hopping out of bed. "Plus, I will never kiss you in the morning. Not only do I know for a fact that you don't brush your teeth before bed, I also know that Freddie lays on your face and he drools." 

Richie looked at Freddie, looking only mildly surprise. "You drool?" 

Freddie's tail once again started beating endlessly as he stared back at Richie. 

Eddie laughed to himself. "I'm gonna go get dressed. Do the same, and quick. It's close." 

On their way out, they all had to step over Dandelion who was sleeping directly in front of the door this morning. 

Eddie huffed as they stepped outside. He didn't want to be up this early, but the fresh morning air was nice at least. He almost felt energized for a moment, until he felt something watching him. 

He glanced over, but he already knew that familiar scent--like fruit.

Pest was sitting there on the railing, long tail spilling over the edge. It had a slight swing to it, and based on the way it was absolutely beaming at Eddie, it was a happy swing. 

Mike smiled. "Good morning," he said, petting it. 

"Hey!" Eddie shouted. "What are you doing?! Don't touch it!" 

Mike slowly pulled his hand away. "I don't know why you're fighting this, Pest clearly loves you." 

"Stop calling it by a name," Eddie groaned, glaring the little cat monster down. " _You_ and all your little monster friends are the reason we have to get up super early. Now shoo!" he shouted, waving his arms around to try and scare it off. 

Pest clearly had no idea what he was trying to do, and wasn't frightened in the least. 

Richie smirked, grabbing Eddie's shoulders from behind and steering him forward and down the steps. "Alright little monster, settle down. We've got work to do. You can yell at your pet cat later." 

Eddie didn't even dignify that with a response. 

He just threw one last dirty look over his shoulder, only to find Freddie gently licking Pest's face. 

Eddie was getting real sick of this cat. 

They spent all morning searching for it. 

It was close by, but no matter where they searched, they couldn't find it. Eddie tried to follow its scent everywhere--it was a thick scent too, like dust and stale air. But even when he was sure he had pinpointed it, there was nothing around. They mused the thought that maybe it was invisible, but no matter how they disturbed the air--making it hot, freezing the moisture in it, sending a current into it--nothing reacted. The scent didn't move an inch, and it didn't so much as fade. 

"So what're we going to do?" Richie spoke up eventually, after it was damn well nearing noon. "We've been at this for like five hours at _least._ Maybe our monster friend is shy. Or maybe--" 

"--If you say I'm broken one more time, so help me." Eddie snapped. 

Richie stopped talking. 

"I-I don't know," Bill admitted. "I could t-try the cards, but with no Them around to f-focus on..." 

"So, what I'm understanding here is: we didn't need to get up super early?" Beverly interjected, an unsavory tone in her voice that struck a nerve in Eddie. 

"Yes we _did_ ," Eddie defended, crossing his arms. "We didn't know it would be invisible or whatever." 

"It's not invisible, obviously--"

"Hold on," Mike spoke up loudly, shutting everyone up before they could even get started. "Look, we're not finding this thing anywhere. And Eddie, you can sense if it moves anyway. So why don't we just go back, sit down for a sec, have something to eat, and _then_ try and figure out why we can't find this thing?" 

No one argued.

If it wasn't for Mike, they really would get pretty close to tearing each other to pieces sometimes. 

Eddie made sure to keep his attention on that scent, even as they all sat inside and ate and rested for a bit. It didn't move. 

They decided until it did, there was no point in wandering around in the same area over and over and wasting their time and energy. They had no idea what kind of camouflage it was using, or if it was just really good at hiding, but it didn't matter--until it was moving around, they weren't going to find it.

Richie groaned, laying his head on the table. They were the only two left sitting in here now that lunch was over, and of course, Richie didn't let a silence settle for long. "What if it just... never moves?"

"You are so impatient," Eddie laughed. "It's been a few hours." 

"That's a few too many, Spaghetti." he said, grinning up at him. "I suppose it is nice to sit around here with you, though." 

"Shut up." Eddie said, nudging him affectionately. 

"You're so sweet," Richie mocked. He didn't even lift his head as he closed his eyes. "Gimme a kiss." 

Eddie smirked, glancing at Freddie and motioning him over. Freddie was thrilled and wasted no time in rushing over, craning his head over and licking Richie's face.

Richie sputtered and sat up, wiping at his face. "That was mean," he laughed, giving Freddie a 'dirty look'. "What have I told you about that?" 

Freddie stared at him blankly before beginning to make the most ridiculous noises in response--he 'talked' like a husky. Loud and whiny. It seemed he always had something to say. 

And of course, Richie did too, so he started arguing back with him as if Freddie was saying _anything_ close to actual words.

Eddie rolled his eyes, not able to help the smile on his face. He would never know another moment of silence in his entire _life._ And surprisingly, he was okay with that. 

The sun had just barely finished setting when the scent moved suddenly. Closer. 

Eddie shot up from the table where he had apparently dozed off and rushed into the main room where everyone was either watching a movie or asleep on the couches. "It's moving!" 

Whoever didn't wake up from Eddie's exclamation was awake now that Freddie had started loudly barking in response. Eddie suspected he had no idea what was going on, but he sure was helpful sometimes. 

"Alright, alright!" Richie shouted over Freddie, shutting him up. "Lead the way, Eds." 

Everyone was quick to shake off the laziness or the drowsiness. They'd been waiting for this thing _all_ day, everyone was more than ready to _finally_ deal with it. Eddie frowned as they stepped outside. "It's coming this way pretty quickly. I think it's heading for town..." 

"Great," Richie muttered. "The last thing we need is people seeing it." 

"The last thing we need is it trying to kill people, actually." Beverly corrected. 

"Yeah, I guess." 

Eddie ignored them, hurrying towards it. The sooner they found it, the farther away from other people it would be. 

It didn't take long either; they'd barely gotten into the woods at all before they ran into it. Almost literally. Everyone just stood there and stared back at it, dead silent. Except Richie: "Is that the fucking Mothman?" 

Eddie really wanted to argue, but he could definitely see where Richie was coming from with this one. It was ridiculously tall, at least eight feet. Eddie was glad it was still dusk, because its body was completely black, it would blend right in with the night sky otherwise. It was covered in something like fur, like most moths, and had somewhat of a mane. It even had fluffy wings. Its hands looked like talons of some predatory bird, but overall, it wasn't really all that threatening looking. It just stood there, staring at them with round, blank eyes. 

"is it aggressive?" Ben asked.

It squeaked in response. 

"Bill, what are we working with here?" Richie asked, sounding just as unsure as everybody else. 

The moment Richie spoke, it went flying at him, the squeak drawing out into something almost like a screech. Everyone screamed and scrambled out of the way. They had definitely gotten too used to having friendly Them. 

Bill was hiding (not very well) behind a nearby tree, frantically drawing and reading cards. But Mothman wasn't even slightly concerned with him--it looked around like it was looking for Richie, but then its eyes found Shiny. Shiny screeched at it, puffing up its feathers, but this only seemed to encourage it. It went scrambling towards him. Stan screamed. "Okay Bill, I really need to know what to do with this!" he shouted, grabbing Shiny and running. 

"It's n-nocturnal! Uh, it likes l-light and shiny things!" Bill called. 

"So it _is_ Mothman!" Richie shouted, being completely unhelpful. Everyone ignored him, as usual. 

"And it uh--" Bill hesitated. 

"What?!" Stan shouted. 

"It w-wants... _teeth._ "

"Teeth!?" Richie shouted. Mothman immediately gave up on Stan and Shiny and returned its attention to Richie, giving chase again. "Why does it keep coming after me?!" 

"Your shine is basically a big, loud _lamp!"_ Eddie reminded. 

"Okay cool, I don't care, can someone do something!?" Richie shouted as he ran. 

Eddie exchanged glances with everyone. It was too damn fast, and it seemed to never stop moving. There was no way anyone was getting a solid hit on it. They really wasted their chance when they first met it. "You need to slow it down!" 

"Cool, let me just do that!" Richie shouted back angrily. 

Even Freddie couldn't catch it, and he was definitely trying. Eddie cursed, looking around for something useful. He looked at Stan and Shiny, then rushed over and pried Shiny's mouth open, peering inside. 

Stan glared. "What are you doing!?" 

"No teeth," Eddie explained. 

"Well duh, he's a bird!" 

"He's a bird _monster_ ," Eddie countered. 

"So what if he doesn't have teeth?!" 

"Distract it with the damn bird, Stan!" Richie shouted, narrowly avoiding some seriously sharp talons to the back of the head. Eddie just nodded. He couldn't have said it better himself. 

"No!" Stan yelled defensively, holding Shiny to his chest. "What if it kills him?!"

"It'll be too distracted--not to mention, it wants to kill Richie for his _teeth_ , which Shiny doesn't have!" Eddie explained as desperately as he could. Richie was getting tired and this thing was too quick to land physical attacks on if it was giving chase like this. Richie was just barely managing to avoid it, and he couldn't keep that up forever. "Come on, Shiny will be fine, but Richie won't be!" 

Stan didn't look happy about it, but he let out a groan of defeat. He looked at Shiny, and judging on the way Shiny looked back at him, he had given him some kind of instructions. Neither of them looked happy about it though. 

Shiny flew out of Stan's arms and over Mothman's head, and it immediately skidded to a stop, its attention completely stolen. It reached out, and Shiny let it grab him. Surprisingly, Mothman settled down, staring at Shiny utterly transfixed. It was like it was hypnotized. 

Richie laid on the ground the moment he had put some space between him and that thing. "I hate this job. I hate it so much, I want to quit," he muttered over and over to himself as he desperately tried to catch his breath. 

Freddie walked over and casually laid on Richie, crushing him. Richie groaned, but he didn't make him get up. 

"Okay, so how do we get rid of it now?" Stan asked, crossing his arms. He just glared at Mothman as it held Shiny and poked and prodded at Shiny's feathers. Shiny pecked it a few times, but it didn't bring Mothman out of its trance. "I'm sick of this thing." 

"Oh, _you're_ sick of this thing?" Richie snapped breathlessly from beneath Freddie. 

"It's pretty weak," Bill explained, ignored Richie and Stan's bickering, "any ph-physical attack should do it." 

Ben was just watching Mothman gently holding Shiny and admiring him. Ben laughed softly. "It's kind of cute though, huh?" 

Eddie ignored him and wasted no time as he nudged Richie with his shoe. "Bugs get zapped, right? Get your revenge." 

Ben gasped quietly, but once again, Eddie ignored him. 

Richie smiled up at him. "Awe, Spaghetti. You _do_ love me." Richie said, sounding as touched as he possibly could. He sat up, urging Freddie off him. "Call your bird, Staniel." 

Stan nodded, and Shiny quickly wriggled out of Mothman's hands. Before it could register completely what had happened, Richie let loose a few volts into it. It really was weak, it fell to dust in seconds. 

"I can't believe that was so easy once it stopped running around." Richie laid right back, exhausted. "Good riddance." 

Shiny returned to his spot on Stan's shoulder, and they both looked much more at peace. 

"Well I guess we should head home," Ben said. "It's gotten dark."

The only one who complained was Richie, but the moment they started walking away without him, he scrambled to his feet and hurried after them. 

"Okay but hear me out," Richie said as he caught up, and Eddie could already tell that no one was going to want to hear this. "Is it just me, or did that Them have some serious ass?" 

Beverly laughed. "Oh thank god I'm not the only one who noticed!" 

"It wasn't _that_ great," Eddie grumbled. 

Mike looked surprised. "Are you j--" 

"Mike." Eddie warned. 

"Are you what?" Richie asked with a grin, throwing his arm over Eddie's shoulder. "You want to be the only one who has my attention? Fine, don't even worry about it. I'll only look at your--" 

"Can you guys not be disgusting for just one mission?" Stan interrupted. "Just one?" 

"Don't be jealous, Stan." Richie said smugly. 

He seemed like he was going to go on about this more, but Shiny attacked him.

Everyone relaxed; everyone was so much more at peace when Shiny shut him up for them. 

When they made it home, no one had much else on their mind other than getting some much needed sleep. 

It was an easy Them to kill, but the stress of waiting for it to show its face all damn day was draining. Not to mention how early it showed up. They were all pretty tired and cranky and _more_ than ready for bed. 

Eddie snuggled up under the blankets. He couldn't have been more comfortable--Richie curled up behind him, Freddie draped over them. Everything was warm and everyone was still and quiet. Sleep was coming fast, he'd be out like a rock in minutes at most. He'd only been settled into bed for a minute or two and he was already dozing off. 

Until a smell of something like poison hit him. 

"Richie," he groaned, annoyance spiking through him as he had to regretfully shake off the sleep he wanted so bad. "Another one's here." 

As he sat up, his heart dropped. It was close. Really close.

Richie still wasn't awake so Eddie reached back and smacked him, waking him up quickly. "What!?" Richie snapped, rubbing at his eyes. "Dude, I _just_ fell asleep--" 

"Shut up!" Eddie hissed, quickly crawling out of bed. "We gotta go."

Richie whined dramatically, pulling a pillow over his head. "Can't it just wait ten more minutes?"

"No, it can't."

"Why?!" Richie whined, even louder now. He still hadn't moved a muscle. 

Eddie, however, was rushing to get dressed. "Because!" he shouted as he pulled on his shoes as quickly as he could. "It's close!"

Richie groaned. "How close?"

Eddie stood, sighing as he did so.

"I think it's right outside the house." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	20. Yet we Still Refuse to Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! So sorry for the late update, I've got some family over! Hope everyone's staying safe and that you enjoy :)

Richie would've done anything to just go back to bed. 

But no, they spent all day waiting around for Mothman to show up, and now they had to deal with _another_ one of Them. Within less than twenty-four hours--Richie couldn't believe what the world was coming to.

So maybe he was feeling a _little_ cranky. And as the others filed out of their rooms as well, dragging their feet downstairs, Richie had a feeling that they probably were in the exact same boat. Even Freddie wasn't wagging his tail, he just let it droop lazily behind him. 

The moment everyone made it down the stairs, Eddie looked even more uncomfortable. "It really is right outside..." he muttered. 

"Okay, that's kinda creepy," Bev muttered, slowly inching towards the door. "Like... _Right_ outside?" 

Eddie nodded. 

Bev thought better of it and shuffled back away from the door. "We should probably make a plan first." 

Richie groaned. "Marsh, I'm too tired for plans," he whined, walking over to the door. "I'm just gonna open it and we're gonna see what we're dealing with, and then we're gonna _deal_ with it." 

Eddie looked annoyed, but thankfully not even he argued this time. It seemed everyone was a little too tired to come up with a plan today. Richie nodded before swinging the door open, already annoyed with this. 

Outside, things were almost normal. Pest was perched on the railing of the porch, Dandelion was laying there right in front of the door; but it was the giant, horrible part wolf-part hornet thing standing a few feet away that was maybe just a little bit out of the ordinary. 

It stood there, staring back at them with a not-so-friendly look. It was big like Freddie, but everyone was much less concerned with the wolf factor of it. It was the giant stinger that was really putting everyone off--the stinger took up the things _entire_ massive tail. 

"Oh gross," Bev muttered. "Why does the stinger have to be that big...?" 

"I don't know, but that should be illegal," Richie said, about three seconds away from throwing up. 

Ben just shook his head, disgusted. "And something tells me it's not exactly friendly..." 

"Definitely not," Mike confirmed, eyes glued to that stinger. "Bill?"

"Wh-What?" he asked. When he realized everyone was looking at him, he fumbled for his cards and rushed to the table. "Oh! W-Working on it!" he shouted, more than happy to turn his focus to his cards instead of the monstrosity outside. 

Richie groaned; he could already tell this was going to be a pain in the ass. "Why don't we try to finish this up quickly? I would love more than anything to get rid of the actual devil outside our house and go back to bed." 

Bev was hesitant, but she nodded. "Let's see what we can do." 

"Why don't you just wait for Bill to finish?" Stan asked. 

"Because I don't have that kind of time, Staniel," Richie snapped, walking outside with Bev. 

The Them bared its teeth and tensed, waiting for them to make the first move. Thankfully, the first move they planned to make was burning it to a crisp so hopefully there wouldn't have to be any other moves after that. 

The moment Bev unleashed her flames on it, Bill shouted from the house: "F-Fire makes it angry!" 

Bev immediately stopped and exchanged glances with Richie. "... Do you think it's gonna come after us now?" 

"Uh..." Richie glanced back at it, where it was stepping towards them now--Bev's flames gliding right off of it as it did so. Its tail was up now, stinger at the ready, and the snarls falling from its mouth probably weren't a good sign either. "... Maybe." 

Just like that, it came running at them. Everyone erupted into screams and they all went scrambling back towards the house--it was fast, though. Richie shoved Bev up the stairs of the porch to get her inside quicker, but it caused him to stumble behind her. He didn't even really have the chance to get his footing again before he felt an immediate sharp, stinging pain exploding from his shoulder. 

Everyone started screaming again, and Ben was throwing every bit of ice power he had at it from what he could gather, but Richie was struggling to focus on any one thing. Everything was pulsing and spinning and burning. It took him a minute to even realize he was being dragged inside. He caught a glimpse of Dandelion taking off running towards the woods--if it bothered Dandelion enough to wake them from their nap, this monster was clearly some serious business. 

The moment the door was shut again, everyone was swarming around him, absolutely freaking out--except Mike, who was darting all over to lock all the windows and doors. 

Eddie grabbed Richie's face and made him look at him. "Hey! Rich, are you alright?!" 

There was no way in hell Richie was going to be able to answer him; the pain hit in waves, leaving him completely useless. "I told you to wait until Bill was finished," Stan said, trying to sound as bitchy as possible, but there was an edge of franticness to his voice. 

"Now's not the time to be sassing him!" Eddie snapped. "He could _die!"_

"Then fix him!" Bev yelled. 

"Okay, shut up!" Eddie yelled back. He hesitated when he looked at Richie, trying to figure out how to go about it. Richie watched him raise his hands towards Richie's shoulder--the sight of Eddie's hands always took Richie aback. He had thought maybe they'd heal more, but looking at them now, they looked almost exactly the same as they did the day it all happened. The bruising was gone, and the deep marks branched out across his hands were no longer red and angry, just scars. And it seemed they weren't going anywhere; still just as detailed and prominent.

Eddie barely touched where Richie had been stung and it improved wildly. Richie immediately sat up the moment he realized he could, sucking in deep breaths. He hadn't realized how difficult it had been to breathe until he could do it easily again. "Damn, thanks Spaghetti." he laughed breathlessly. 

Eddie looked so relieved, throwing his arms around him. "You annoy me so much, Tozier." 

Richie grinned and hugged him back, ignoring the ache setting deep in his muscles. "I love you too, Kaspbrak." 

Eddie suddenly gasped and pulled away, pointing to the kitchen. "When the Hell did that get in here!?" 

Pest sat on the kitchen table, tail swinging happily as it watched them all running around frantically. Though Pest's eyes definitely were on Eddie now; and even if Eddie was yelling at it, it still looked just as thrilled to see him. 

"Must've run in during all the commotion," Ben said, "can you blame it?"

"Yes, actually, I can." Eddie snapped stubbornly, walking over and pointing a finger right in Pest's face. Pest didn't so much as flinch. "I bet you caused this somehow, didn't you?" he grumbled. 

Pest just tilted its head and rubbed its cheek on Eddie's finger. 

Eddie groaned in disgust, pulling his hand away. "Great, so what do we do now?" Eddie huffed, looking at Bill. 

Bill was slowly making his way over to the window, hesitantly peering outside. "Ice sl-slows it down..." 

"Yeah, and fire pisses it off, we know," Richie said sarcastically as he began the painful process of trying to push himself up to his feet. He was so sore. "But what we need to know is how we _kill_ it." 

"Well, uh," Bill stammered. "Pesticides." 

"Pesticides?" Stan asked incredulously. "Like, spray for plants that kills the bugs on 'em or whatever?" he glanced over at Mike. "So?" 

Mike looked downright offended. "I would never use those! Do you know how bad those are for you?" he frowned after a moment. "Though I suppose I don't even have any natural pesticides... I never really needed them, the soil's good. And Eddie's shine keeps it healthy. No pests." 

Eddie glanced at Pest, but decided not to say anything. 

"Well shit, what are we gonna do?" Bev asked. "We can't just head to the store real quick and get some, that thing won't stop lurking outside!" 

Richie walked to the door, slowly unlocking it and opening it just a crack. The moment he did, the Them rammed into it full force, and if it hadn't been for Freddie at his side snapping through the gap in the door and startling the monster for even just a few seconds, it totally would've gotten in. Richie took advantage of the small amount of time Freddie bought him and immediately slammed the door shut and locked it. "Yeah, so, Bev's right. We're not going anywhere." 

"Well we have to do something," Stan added, unhelpfully. 

"No shit Stan, got any ideas?" Richie mumbled, but Stan heard him. They were all too tired to ignore the tension.

Unsurprisingly, the whole house erupted into arguments. 

This went on for an unreasonable amount of time before Bill suddenly shouted over everyone: "Sh-Shut up, I have a plan!" 

"Oh no," Richie groaned. 

"We should have a few of us distract it, and a few others go g-get some pesticide." he said confidently. 

"You must be joking--we're just gonna distract it... so some of us can go run to the store and get what? A spray bottle of pesticide?" Stan asked, shaking his head. "That's your plan?" 

Bill crossed his arms. "Do you have a b-better one?" 

Everyone went dead silent. Sadly, no one did. 

"Fine." Stan sighed. 

They quickly decided who should go (Richie, because he already got stung; Bev, cause all she could do is piss it off more; Stan, cause he's the one who can steal shit for them; and Mike, cause he would actually know what they were looking for), and who should stay. 

Bill's plan was the only one they had, but Ben at least suggested that they go up to the second story and distract it from the window, which was probably about as smart and cautious as the plan was going to get. 

Eddie paused at the base of the stairs. "Be quick." 

"Be careful." Richie countered, a bit softer than he intended. 

They waited by the door until they heard the others upstairs shout that they could go. 

Richie took a deep breath, readying himself to open the door. Eddie was right, they'd have to be quick got sure; if that thing noticed them for even a second, it'd catch them effortlessly. And if they were headed away from the house, they wouldn't be able to make it back inside to safety in time. And getting stung once was definitely enough for Richie to know he never wanted to do that again. 

Freddie whimpered when Richie rested his hand on the doorknob. "Hey, I mean it, big guy." Richie said, just a bit stern. "You wait here. You can't come with us." 

Freddie whined loudly back at him, arguing as usual, but he did sit down. He could complain all he wanted, so long as he listened. 

Richie just laughed a little. "You're such a drama queen." he glanced at the others. "Ready?" 

They nodded, readying themselves. 

Richie opened the door, quickly rushing out--he almost tripped when Pest went running out under his feet. "Shit!" he cursed, trying to grab it, but it was small and quick. He hoped maybe Pest would just run for the hills like Dandelion, but instead, it went straight towards the Them that was currently trying to figure out how to climb up the damn house to get to the second story window where the others were yelling and making as much commotion as possible. 

Eddie leaned out the window, eyes squinting. "Is that Pest!?" he swung his head over to where Richie was. "Why did you let it out, it'll get eaten!" 

Richie couldn't exactly answer without risking giving away their position. Bev was right at his side, whispering low: "Should we go?"

"Shit, I don't know, what about Pest?" he asked worriedly. 

The little cat monster hurried right over to that giant, pissed off Them. Richie watched through his fingers, wincing as he waited for what would inevitably be a slaughter. 

Everyone watched in terrified silence as Pest walked right up, ignoring the Them's angry snarling, and rubbed its little head on its leg. Richie could be barely see it, but Pest was definitely leaving behind some kind of substance on this monster. 

Even the Them looked confused, hesitating and just watching Pest. Until whatever Pest had rubbed onto the Them started smoking--it was _literally_ burning the Them. It growled and yelped and thrashed, trying to rub it off against the walls of the house, but it was only a matter of time before it started falling to dust; struggling and freaking out the entire time. 

And all that was left was Pest, sitting over the monster's dust, casually licking its paw. 

Everyone was crowded around where they sat Pest on the kitchen table. And Pest was, of course, _thrilled_ to have everyone's attention. 

"How the hell did you do that?" Eddie snapped, like he was interrogating the clueless little cat monster. "Can you do that to anything, or just Them? Does it kill _all_ Them? Did you just get lucky this time?" 

"Eddie, it's not going to answer you." Stan sighed. "And there's not a lot of thought going on inside its head right now either." 

"Should we be worried?" Mike asked. "Do you think it'd do whatever that was to any of the others, like Shiny or Freddie?" 

"Or us?" Ben added. 

"It secretes natural p-pesticides." Bill chimed in, setting a card down on the table. He smiled and scratched behind Pest's ear. 

A few moments of confused silence crawled by, and since it seemed no one else was going to, Richie spoke up: "Excuse me?" Richie asked. 

"Yes. It's v-very connected to nature." Bill informed. "Perhaps its been h-helping you two in the garden too." 

Eddie glared, running his hand along its fur. His hand was clean when he pulled it away. "So what? You can secrete that on command, then?" Eddie crossed his arms, still giving Pest dirty looks, as if it could even understand what that was supposed to mean. "Well... Stay out of our garden anyway." he said sternly. 

"So does that mean it can stay?" Richie asked with a grin. 

"No!" Eddie shouted. "But I can't exactly make it go away. So there's boundaries. The garden is one of them." 

Richie rolled his eyes, patting Pest's head. "Hang in there little one, he'll get the stick out of his ass eventually--" 

Eddie punched Richie in the ribs, which hurt significantly more than it usually did thanks to the soreness that was still just as bad when it first started. "Take it outside." Eddie demanded, storming upstairs. 

Richie stretched, groaning as he did so. It helped the soreness just a little bit, but he'd take whatever he could get. "C'mon then," he muttered, and Pest happily followed. Freddie sniffed Pest's head the entire walk over to the door.

He opened it up, pleased to see Dandelion had returned. Pest obediently walked outside, hopping on Dandelion and curling up to take a nap. 

"Good idea," Richie hummed, making his way upstairs. He was beyond ready for a nap. He just hoped Eddie wasn't going to complain about Pest for too long tonight, Richie was completely exhausted-- 

Eddie was absolutely _passed out_ on the bed when Richie stepped inside. 

"Hmm," he whispered to Freddie. "Maybe he'll be less cranky when he wakes up." 

Freddie just lazily wagged his tail in response before very carefully getting on the bed, watching his feet and everything to make sure he didn't step on Eddie or wake him up. It was only seconds after Freddie settled in that he was out cold too. 

Richie sighed peacefully, eagerly joining them.

He was sore and worn out, but maybe today wasn't a total bust. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	21. The Markings of Your Heart Were Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> I was out of town for awhile but I am back, so Reap's hiatus is officially over :) And this week we've got a little, simple chapter to get things started again. Hope you enjoy <3

"I'm so tired," Richie whined, half asleep on the kitchen table anyway. 

Maybe Ben would feel bad for him, but he's always the one who sleeps in the latest and he's _always_ tired, so. Ben could only be so concerned. 

"No, you're just a drama queen," Bev chimed in, grinning. 

Ben couldn't help the immediate smile on his face. 

"Anyway," Mike announced, choosing to ignore that Richie and Bev were now kicking each other under the table. "Breakfast's ready." he said as he began passing out everyone's plates. 

Richie sat right up, suddenly not so tired anymore of course. Eddie just rolled his eyes. 

Ben snickered softly to himself, sparing a quick glance around as everyone got settled in. Sometimes it really did strike him all at once when they were eating meals together how odd their little family was. And how not-so-little it was now. 

Seven of them, all together, and not one related by blood. And if that weren't enough, they were accompanied by the monster bird casually sitting on Stan's shoulder; their monster dog, eating a bowl of _raw eggs_ beside them; their sleeping monster lion on the porch outside; and now even a little monster cat that was perched on the window sill--inside the house, might he add. Pest apparently knew some way in and out of the house, but Eddie never seemed to notice it was inside. So no one ever told him. All Pest did was nap in the sun and watch Eddie from afar anyway. 

But to normal people, it was all still _weird._ And that's without mentioning the superpowers. 

Ben couldn't remember what it felt like anymore to not be comfortable and used to all this. He really didn't mind--it felt right. Maybe he was just glad to be here with everyone, despite the circumstances. 

He did sort of hope they were done monster collecting now, though. He did dearly love the companions they had now, but in all honesty, it was starting to look like some seriously screwed up kind of zoo around here. 

"Attention people," Richie declared loudly, sliding his empty plate to the center of the table. "Pile on your scraps, it's time to feed the beast." 

"Which one?" Bev joked as she pushed her leftovers and scraps onto Richie's plate. 

"The only one that eats scraps, m'lady," Richie said, making them both laugh. 

Ben loved to hear her laugh, it elevated his mood considerably every single time. It always left him smiling like an idiot, even as he did something like scrape leftover bits of food onto the growing pile on Richie's plate as everyone else did the same. 

"Why're you looking so love struck, Benny-Boy?" Richie asked, a rather devilish smirk on his face. 

Ben's face flushed red, and judging by the satisfaction on Richie's face, that's exactly what he was hoping for. "I'm not love struck..." he muttered defiantly. 

"Sure, whatever," Richie said with a casual shrug. "I'm just saying, if you're in love with me, you have to remember I'm a taken man now." 

"We'll see," Eddie mumbled. 

Bev threw a stray piece of food from the table at Richie. "Leave him alone, Tozier. Why don't you go pick on someone with your own IQ? Ben's is way too high for you." she said smugly. 

"Everyone's is too high for him," Stan added with a smirk, not able to keep a straight face that time. 

Richie laughed, throwing the piece of food right back at Bev. " _I_ was a straight A student, okay. I outsmart all you bitches." he collected the plate of scraps and headed out the front door with a huff. 

Bev shook her head, glancing over at Ben. "You are definitely smarter than him, I don't care what grades he got in school." 

Ben laughed, his cheeks still a little pink. And if she kept smiling at him like that, they weren't going to cool down anytime soon. "Thanks Bev." 

Not even a minute after Richie stepped outside, he stepped right back in. "Uh guys--you might wanna come see this." 

Everyone exchanged quick glances, a worried tension falling over everyone. But they knew better than to waste time--they all quickly got to their feet and rushed out. Ben just hoped it wasn't anything too difficult to deal with. 

The moment they saw what it was, they all turned to Eddie and Bill. "You didn't sense this?" Bev asked. 

"N-Nope," Bill deadpanned. 

"And I didn't either," Eddie added before anyone could ask. 

They all just sort of stared at the little monster curled up with Dandelion. 

It stared back at them with big, clueless eyes. It almost resembled Dandelion, but also resembled something like a raccoon. It had little paws like a raccoon, anyway. 

"Uh, is Dandelion a lady?" Richie asked. "... What could it have even had a baby with?" 

"They're a-asexual, it didn't _make_ a b-baby, Richie." Bill said, turning back to the little animal that Dandelion did not seem to care about in the slightest. "Th-That being said..." 

"Is it dangerous?" Stan asked. 

Mike shook his head. "No, not at all." He laughed a bit. "Kind of innocently clueless, actually." 

"Like Bill!" Richie said, making Mike laugh. Bill wasn't as amused. 

Bev smiled ear-to-ear. "That's all I needed to hear," she said, reaching out and scooping the little monster up with no hesitation. "It's so cute!" 

It reached out and grabbed at her hair, and she just about died on the spot fawning over it. 

Richie nudged Ben. "Are you ready to be a father?" he whispered, clearly having a great time. 

"Shut up, Richie." he muttered back. 

"Just look at this little munchkin!" Bev cried excitedly, holding it out to Ben. She was absolutely thrilled. Freddie was too--he was running in excited circles around the group, making as much noise and commotion as he could. 

Ben laughed softly, giving it a little scratch. "It's very cute," he said. And it was--but he was more focused on Bev. 

"So why didn't you guys sense it?" Richie asked, leaning against Eddie, who for once actually allowed him to do so. 

"I'm not sure..." Eddie muttered, glancing at Bill. "Maybe its presence is too small? Or masked by Dandelion?" 

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe... M-Maybe it doesn't give off a presence at all?" 

"Okay, but why else wouldn't it have a presence if it didn't come from Dandelion?" Richie butted in--he was very insistent about this. 

Everyone just groaned and headed back inside. 

And it seemed Munchkin was here to stay, based on the way Bev hadn't loosened her grip even once since she'd picked it up. _So much for no more monsters,_ Ben thought, but there was no way he could be mad about it when he saw the way Bev was absolutely beaming. He could make do with another monster. 

Bev was seated at the table with Munchkin in her lap; Bill reading his cards across from them. 

Everyone else stood huddled around, quietly waiting to see what Bill had to say about their newest and very sudden addition to their family. Even Freddie seemed to have his eyes glued on Bill. 

Bill absently scanned the cards while eating an apple from the bowl on the table. "Mm... It's sort of... u-useless." 

Bev gasped, as if she were personally offended. "Useless!? How could you say that?" 

"It doesn't really fight," Bill explained. "Or... anything, really. It's a little th-thief though; and giving off no presence is part of a defense mechanism." he said, taking another bite of his apple. "Cute and friendly, t-though." 

Bev looked down at Munchkin, smiling softly. "That's okay, it doesn't need to do anything."

"So it just snuck in here under our radar?" Eddie asked, looking almost amused by it. "For what? So it could steal stuff?" 

"Apparently," Bill laughed, tossing the core of his apple in the garbage. As usual, he intended to eat way too many apples in one sitting, and reached for the next. He gasped when he realized the bowl was empty. 

Everyone looked at Munchkin, who slowly spit out two whole apples it had managed to stuff in its mouth. 

"Ew, keep 'em." Bill grimaced, eager to get up and into a different room. "Also, it's a baby." 

"Baby?!" Bev and Richie asked in shock. "I told you all it was a baby!" Richie shouted. 

"Awe, a baby," Bev cried. "Sweet little thing!" Bev was going to baby the monster beforehand, now she just had more of a reason to. 

Richie was going on and on about how he was right about it being a baby as everyone slowly started to make their way into the other room. Everyone except Freddie anyway, who was keeping a close eye on those apples Munchkin spit out. 

Bev laughed and glanced up at Ben now that they were the only two left in the kitchen. "What do you think? Think we can take care of this thing?" 

"We?" Ben sputtered without even thinking about it. 

"Well yeah!" Bev said, her smile growing a bit more sheepish. "I thought maybe it would be fun for us to, y'know... have a little shared pet? Unless you don't want to, then I'm sure I can handle this little menace on my own," she laughed, hugging the soft little monster in her lap. 

Ben wondered how she could say all that so casually--his throat had completely gone dry. But his heart warmed considerably that she just assumed they'd do this together. 

"Of course," Ben smiled. "You and me." 

"You and me." Bev agreed, smiling warmly in return. 

Ben had pictured it would be the two of them, giving Munchkin baths and playing with it, etc. Normal cute, domestic things like that. 

But most of what they did as Munchkin's "parents" (as Richie had deemed them, and Bev very excitedly took on that title) was look for Munchkin when it quietly slipped off somewhere, or make it spit out random items it stole from people.

It seemed to literally have no other thought process than love and steal things. Ben had watched countless times as someone set something down within Munchkin's reach, and it was pure instinct as Munchkin swiped it. 

And Shiny hated Munchkin with a passion. 

Munchkin would always somehow end up with spoons, and moments later Shiny would come furiously squawking. It was a miracle Shiny hadn't just killed the little thing yet, it seemed pretty close each time. 

At least Freddie like Munchkin. 

Freddie would fetch pine cones and rocks from outside and bring them to Munchkin. It was cute and all, but it was exhausting to make sure Munchkin spit them out each time. Ben was pretty sure it had swallowed quite a few rocks by now. He chose not to tell Bev--she would freak out. 

After a particularly long night when Munchkin was full of energy, and stole something from just about everyone in the house, Bev just held the tiny devil to her chest and laid back on the floor. 

It was late, and they had managed to return everyone's things. They learned that night that if Munchkin couldn't fit items in its mouth, it would hide them elsewhere. Luckily they weren't too difficult to find, Munchkin was terrible at hiding. And its favorite hiding spot was underneath Dandelion or Freddie when they were napping. 

"Lay with us," Bev said tiredly, but she still held onto Munchkin with everything she had. There was no way she was letting Munchkin loose for the rest of the night. 

Ben huffed as he laid back on the floor with them. It was odd, considering they were laying on the hard floor in the middle of the living room--but with no one around, and the silence settling, it really was sort of relaxing. 

"I had no idea being a parent was this exhausting," Bev laughed, making Ben do the same. 

"I don't think real babies steal everything," Ben sighed. "Real parents have it easy." 

That one made Bev laugh too, and she just sighed--but it was content. Happy. "It's kind of fun, huh?" 

Ben smiled over at her, admiring her as she rested her eyes. "Yeah, it's fun." 

She glanced over at him. "Worth it?" she asked, smiling down at Munchkin, who was now out cold. 

"Yeah." Ben smiled. "Worth it." 

But while she was admiring Munchkin, he was admiring her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	22. A Shout Into Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone :) Sorry this one's a little behind schedule, had a family member staying with us for a few days while she worked some things out! 
> 
> I appreciate all the love and enthusiasm we've been receiving lately for the past few cutesy chapters, they've been a lot of fun! I've got another laid back, wholesome chapter for you this week--but next week, the plot heavy chapters resume 👀 So please do enjoy!

Bill was the one assigned to dishes today. 

He hated dishes. But he also hated laundry, sweeping, mopping, etc. He'd already come to terms with the fact that he just hated every chore imaginable, so he should just do whatever chore he had that day as quickly as possible. And he _was_ definitely rushing through it as quickly as possible. That is, until Mike walked in and leaned on the counter beside him. "Want me to do the dishes for you?" 

Bill laughed, shaking his head. "No! I can do them, they're not th-that bad," he lied. He had considerably slowed down now though, he didn't have much reason to rush now that Mike was keeping him company. 

"Sure," Mike said with a grin, but he didn't push it. "You do know that Munchkin has your deck of cards in the living room though, right?" 

Bill groaned. He honestly couldn't say that he was all that surprised. He didn't even check his pocket to make sure Mike was right. At this point, he knew he was. "I don't even care, I'll find them l-later," he huffed. "It's too l-late to get rid of Munchkin, isn't it?" he joked. 

Mike laughed. "Yep, I'd say so. Unless you want to try and get through Beverly." 

"Yeah, no, she'll k-kill me." Bill muttered to himself. 

He had only done about half the dishes when Mike reached over and turned the faucet off. "Wanna come pick the apples with me?" 

Bill's eyes widened, absolutely beaming. "R-Really?!" 

"Yes," Mike laughed. "But you do the dishes too slow, I can't wait anymore. You can finish it when we get back, alright?" 

Bill rolled his eyes, despite the smile and slight blush on his face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered, drying his hands off quickly. "Okay now come on, l-let's go pick some apples please!" he cried eagerly, pushing Mike out the door. 

For someone who just rushed Bill, Mike was definitely taking his sweet time collecting the basket and casually walking them outside. Not that Bill minded, like he said before, he wasn't in a rush now. 

Pest had made its way outside again, and was napping in the apple tree. If it wasn't lounging in the window sill staring at Eddie or cuddling with Dandelion, it was in this tree. Bill gave Pest a little scratch, smiling at the way the happy cat monster stretched in response but ultimately drifted right back to sleep. "I don't understand why Eddie doesn't l-like Pest." 

"He does," Mike said, inspecting the apples. "He's just stubborn for no reason." 

Bill couldn't help but laugh. Mike was definitely right. 

"Okay, so can I just p-pick any of 'em?" Bill asked, plucking the nearest one without waiting for an answer. 

"No," Mike said regrettably, gently taking the one from Bill's hand. "Uh, see look here--y'know how when you eat our apples, they're red? Yeah, if it's yellow, it stays on the tree." 

Mike was the only person who could say that sentence and genuinely not be condescending. But still, Bill gave him an apologetic smile. "Ah, m-my bad."

"It's okay," Mike laughed, dropping it in the basket anyway. "We'll find something to do with it." 

From that point on, Bill was careful to ask about each one before he plucked them--even if they were obviously red. But of course, Mike was as patient as always, and answered warmly every time. 

Bill didn't spend a lot of time in the garden, this was usually something Mike and Eddie did and he didn't want to impede on that. But he sure was thinking about trying to do it more often--Mike looked so peaceful and at home when he was tending to the plants and harvesting. The sun looked good on him. 

"Are you spacing out again?" 

Bill came back to reality, blushing a bit. "Uh, y-yes. What?" 

"I said we're done," Mike laughed, nudging him. "Come on, maybe the sun is cooking your brain." 

"You say it like I n-never go outside." 

"Do you?" 

Bill paused. "Anyway," he started, holding the door open for Mike. "Wh-What're we gonna do with the a-apple that wasn't ready?"

"I've got an idea," Mike said with a warm grin. 

Once back inside, they washed the apples. And by "they", of course he meant _Mike._ Bill just sort of stood nearby and watched, as he did with most things. He did occasionally hand Mike a new paper towel though. And once all the apples that were actually red were cleaned and dried, Bill placed them in the bowl on the kitchen table. He might've eaten one immediately if they weren't busy. 

When he walked back over to Mike, Mike was cutting the yellow apple into little squares. Bill just looked at him quizzically. 

Mike smiled when he finished, scooping them all into a little bowl. "Let's go get your cards back." he said proudly. 

Bill followed Mike into the living room, where Beverly and Ben were asleep on the couch together; their "child" sitting on the carpet, surrounded by Bill's cards. Munchkin never really harmed anything it stole, so Bill wasn't that alarmed. If anything, it was cute how Munchkin was busy assembling every single card in different and random positions all around the carpet. 

"Hey there," Mike said softly. "Wanna trade?" he asked, holding out the bowl. 

Munchkin peered inside, still stubbornly holding onto a card in its little hands. The moment it realized what was in the bowl though, it eagerly let the card go and accepted the bowl--carefully grabbing it and setting it down at its side. It happily began stuffing little apple cubes into its mouth, turning its attention to whatever was on the TV. 

"It r-really is scarily like a child, isn't it?" Bill asked, beginning to collect his scattered cards. 

Mike assisted him in doing so, laughing softly. "It is. Sure does make it easy to deal with, though." 

Once it seemed all the cards were collected (Bill would obviously need to count them later), Mike handed the ones he'd picked up over, placing them in Bill's hand. Mike's hand lingered for a bit, just enough to make Bill's stomach knot. But he never did linger for very long. It seemed Mike was probably the one out of the two of them that _really_ wasn't in any rush. 

"Come on," he said warmly. "I'll finish your dishes for you." 

Bill watched him go as he slipped his deck in his pocket, practically swooning as he stumbled after him. That man really knew the way to his heart. 

Beverly shot up when she realized she had fallen asleep, waking Ben in the process. 

Thankfully, it was just barely nearing sunset at that point, it had only been a few hours. And Munchkin was sitting on the carpet, an almost empty bowl at its side save for one piece of cubed apple. She sighed in relief and sat back against the couch; Mike had clearly been here, she knew she didn't have to worry about anything when he was around. 

Ben rubbed his eyes sleepily. "When did we pass out?"

"Sometime after lunch, I guess," Beverly laughed, stretching lazily. "I definitely didn't mean to fall asleep." 

"Me neither," Ben admitted with a laugh. He stood and stretched. "Did you still wanna go practice your powers for a bit?" 

Beverly glanced at Munchkin, who was currently engrossed in whatever was on the TV. She was unsure about leaving it alone until she noticed Mike and Bill sitting at the kitchen table together, talking. As long as someone could at least see Munchkin, it'd be fine. "Yeah let's do it!" she said with a nod, hopping up. She patted Munchkin's head as she walked by, but it didn't even register she had touched it at all. 

Beverly let out a long, pleased sigh as the sun hit her skin. She was glad she got to feel some of it before it set, she would've definitely pouted if she had slept through all the sunlight. Turned out parenting was exhausting all the time. 

"So what do you need help with?" Ben asked, stepping over Dandelion and walking towards the back yard. "It seems you've pretty much got it figured out, no?" 

"Well I do," she said, following him. "I don't know, I just feel like sometimes in the heat of the moment, if things get frantic, it's kind of too much for me to control. It feels sort of overwhelming. Like, I _can_ control it, but it feels like I'm doing so out of pure luck." she huffed as she sat on a rock, patting the spot beside her for Ben. "It's sort of annoying. Especially since you always seem to get more and more level headed every single fight." 

Ben smiled sympathetically at her, sitting beside her. "Being super powerful isn't your fault, Bev. It just... kicks on in stressful situations, when you need it the most." he grinned, nudging her. "Obviously, considering you were the first of us to fight, remember?"

Beverly laughed, shaking her head. "I guess, but I wouldn't consider it a good thing." 

"I do," Ben insisted. "You act when you need to, unlike most people who freeze up." he softened a bit. "Besides, it's not 'luck' that you keep your powers in control when things get desperate. That's still all you. The situation just feels out of control, even though you _are_ still in control." 

Beverly smiled now, surprisingly that calmed her down quite a bit. Ben had a way of putting things into perspective. She couldn't decide if he was just really good at it or if she just completely trusted every word he said. "You think so?"

"I know so. Otherwise, you would've burned us all alive by now." 

She laughed, shoving him lightly. "I guess." she smiled over at him. "You're great, you know that?" 

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the way Ben's face reddened a bit. It didn't take much at all, it seemed. "You are too." he said shyly. 

"So I guess there's really no reason for me to practice then, huh?" she asked after a moment. 

"I suppose not." Ben said, still smiling bashfully. "But we could just sit out here together for a bit. If you wanted to..." 

"I do." she assured. 

And it was nice to just sit outside, feeling the evening air begin to fall over them, a nice breeze blowing through their hair. It was completely quiet for once; that didn't happen often in such a full house, especially considering Richie and Freddie lived in that house. 

Beverly smiled over at Ben, who was just enjoying the fresh hair. She rested her hand on his. Neither of them said anything about it, they just enjoyed it. They soaked it in as much as they could, it wasn't common to catch moments like this. 

And of course, it didn't last long. Angry squawking from Shiny sounded from inside, and they both knew why. 

"Munchkin." they groaned in unison. 

"And here I thought Mike might keep it out of trouble," Beverly said as they rushed back towards the house. 

"He's with Bill, he's just as distracted as the rest of them." Ben said, making Beverly laugh and almost forget they had to go save their baby from getting attacked by a giant bird. 

It definitely was easy to get distracted around here. 

"This game is so dumb," Stan said, huffing as he slid his cards away from him. "You're just cheating." 

Richie collected the cards. "You cannot cheat at 21, Stan. It's not my fault you bust every time, you're too excitable." 

Stan stared back at him with the most unamused, emotionless face. 

"See what I mean?" Richie teased. "You're a spaz, calm down." 

Stan glanced out the window, sighing when he saw it was dark now. "Well I'm going to bed." he said. "Plus Shiny's in a bad mood since Munchkin tried to steal his spoons again." 

"It's been like two hours, is he really still pouting?" 

And maybe Richie was crazy, but he was pretty sure that Shiny gave him an actual glare for a minute there. Stan just shrugged. "Goodnight," he said, making his way back to his room. 

Eddie smiled the moment Stan disappeared. "Why is Stan so bad at that game?" 

"Cause he asks for a hit even if he's at 17, who does that?" Richie laughed, making Eddie do the same. 

Eddie shook his head, falling back on the bed. Freddie excitedly got up from the floor to go lay over Eddie. Eddie grunted in response, but he'd gotten used to being crushed by Freddie at this point. 

Richie admired them for a moment before crawling over and laying beside them, absently playing with Eddie's hair. "Things have been nice lately, huh?" 

"They have," Eddie replied with a smile, only slightly winded from the beast laying across his stomach. 

Richie grinned. "How much do we want to bet it all goes to crap now that I've said that?" 

Eddie laughed and somehow managed to punch Richie in the arm. "Shut up, don't say that!" he smiled, petting Freddie. "Let's just enjoy it. We can take this for granted, just for a little while." 

Richie's heart warmed; usually Eddie was the one worrying, so it was lovely to hear this from him. Definitely a damn good day indeed. He smiled, laughing much more warmly now. "You said it, Spaghetti," he said softly, leaning forward and kissing him gently. 

Of course Richie knew this kind of calm wouldn't last forever--especially today, they got a _whole day off,_ that almost never happened. Everyone just got to take the whole day slow--Mike and Bill had been all over each other all day in the garden and doing chores like an old married couple. Bev and Ben napped between having to rescue Munchkin from Shiny about five times, and they got to stay in bed all day. The most they had to do was play cards with Stan, which they were happy to do. 

It was almost grueling to think they'd go back to monster hunting soon, more than likely. 

So he just decided not to think about it. Instead, he curled up at Eddie's side and hugged both him and Freddie as tight as he could. Eddie groaned and Freddie just excitedly wagged his tail in response. 

When he had sufficiently squeezed the life out of them, he lightly pushed Freddie aside so he could latch himself onto Eddie instead. Freddie argued loudly about it, but Richie ignored him. 

Eddie grinned, patting Richie's arm. "You weigh much less than that dog, this is fine." 

"Did you just call Freddie fat? How rude, he's on a very strict diet y'know," Richie teased, not letting Eddie retort back before kissing him. Eddie didn't seem to have any issues with that at all. 

When they finally pulled away, Eddie looked so out of it, a lazy smile on his face. "Y'know. It's not too late yet. We could just keep doing that for awhile."

Richie smirked. "Sounds like a good time to me. Looks like we're planning to end this night off right," he teased, leaning forward and kissing him again. 

And maybe that's how they spent the rest of their night, and maybe neither of them had a care in the world. 

They had no idea what was ahead of them, not even a hunch, and for that night they didn't need to. To them, it felt like they'd spend forever just like that, and both of them were just fine with that. 

Regardless of what was coming, that night was all theirs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	23. And Proof is Found in Tree Stumps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Please do enjoy : )

Richie sighed peacefully; he was totally relaxed. 

He had the pleasantly warm sun hitting his face, the soft grass underneath him. The sound of the Losers casually chatting amongst themselves and Freddie rolling happily in the grass nearby was the only sound. Totally relaxing. 

He sort of wished everyday could be like this, except he definitely didn't go outside enough to lay in the grass every day. If he went outside every day, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as he was now--it was a special treat. That was the reasoning he choice as his excuse and he'd stick to it. 

Munchkin came waddling over, peering at Richie before trying to swipe his glasses. Richie easily held them out of the little monster's reach. "Not today, my little thieving friend." 

Bev came over with a huff, scooping up her child. She looked over him, a grin finding her face. "You know, if you actually got up off your lazy ass and helped do some yard work like the rest of us, Munchkin wouldn't have a chance to try and steal your glasses, right?" 

"I do know that actually." Richie confirmed, earning himself a laugh before she walked away, shaking her head. 

Freddie finally finished rolling in the grass like his life depended on it, and plopped down beside Richie. He stared at him, absolutely beaming. Richie couldn't help the warm laugh that bubbled up out of him--he grabbed Freddie's face and squished it. "You have such a stupid face!" he said enthusiastically.

Freddie clearly didn't understand what he was saying, but he understood the tone, making him wiggle with excitement. 

As they were rolling around, Pest had apparently wandered over--because before Richie knew it, Pest was just sitting there and watching them with delight. The poor little thing; so desperate for attention and love, and it managed to attach itself to the one person stubborn enough to deny it of that. 

"Go ahead, cuddle with your dog," Richie said, motioning to Freddie. 

Pest gladly took the invitation, walking over and curling up on top of Freddie as it often did. Freddie was so used to it by now that he was even sure to lay still, so the little cat could fall asleep and stay asleep undisturbed. 

"I can't believe you let it do that." 

Richie smiled widely just from the sound of his cranky little voice. Eddie stood there, eagerly yanking off the dirty gloves he'd been doing yard work in. "Honestly, you're teaching it bad habits. We're trying to get it to go away, remember?" 

"Eds, I'm pretty sure you're the only one trying to get it to go away," Richie said with a grin, patting the ground beside him. 

Eddie rolled his eyes but he sure didn't waste any time in settling down beside him. 

"Well you should _all_ be trying to get it to go away, it's a--" 

"Pest, we know." Richie interrupted, grinning. "I just think you shouldn't push this so hard, is all. That little pest is obsessed with you and hasn't done any wrong by you, has it?" 

Eddie crossed his arms stubbornly. "It hangs out in the garden." 

"Yes, but has it even _harmed_ the garden?" 

Eddie did not look pleased. "If you're going to defend the cat, I'm leaving--" 

"No, no!" Richie laughed, securing his arms around Eddie's waist before he could push himself up. "You don't have to adopt a monster just because the rest of us did, I'm kidding." he softened a bit. "Though, I won't lie to you, the bond is really special." he looked over his shoulder at Freddie, sleeping softly. He kept opening one eye to make sure Pest was still sleeping comfortably, and to keep an eye on Richie. 

"More special than a person and a regular pet?" Eddie asked, actually just genuinely asking. 

"I think so." Richie nodded. He wished he could explain it. But like most things in their life, that wasn't so simple. He had grown accustomed to feelings too powerful for him to understand--his own abilities, his deep connection with the Losers, his feelings for Eddie, and his bond with Freddie. These were all things that he could never find the words to fit. "I can't really _tell_ you, it's just a feeling. A really strong one, though." 

Eddie looked over Richie for a moment, almost painfully softly. "I think I might have an idea what that's like." 

Richie's heart stumbled a bit. He cleared his throat, not realizing it had gone dry, and laughed somewhat awkwardly--that had caught him off guard to say the least. "All I'm saying is that maybe one day, you should give Pest a chance." 

Eddie groaned. "We'll see. Don't count on it." 

"I will," Richie hummed, kissing him. 

"No," Stan shouted at them from where he was picking weeds. "I don't want to see that." 

Richie sighed dramatically. "I can't do anything around here." 

"Yeah, clearly," Eddie laughed, lightly smacking his arm. "Get up already." 

Richie grinned, watching Eddie get up and look back at him expectantly. Richie sat up--with that look Eddie was giving him, it's not like he could say no even if he wanted to. But he didn't want to. 

Richie thought maybe they'd get a full lazy day. 

Well, lazy day for Richie. Everyone else seemed determined to do chores. Richie helped out a little bit here and there, but ultimately, he just wanted to follow Eddie around and bother him. Eddie never seemed to stop him or genuinely tell him to go away though, so Richie couldn't imagine it bothered him _that_ much. 

_Finally,_ Richie got Eddie to settle down with him at the kitchen table. He had poured Eddie and him a glass and slid it over. 

Eddie glanced at it, a half smile finding his face. "Is this chocolate milk?" 

"Maybe it is," Richie said smugly, taking a sip. 

Eddie looked around as if he was doing something bad before sipping on it as well. "You think Bill's gonna freak out?" 

"I don't know, probably," Richie said dismissively. "But more importantly, what are we going to do now that you're finally done cleaning every tiny inch of this godforsaken house?" 

"I did not clean every inch," Eddie snapped, the defiance on his face almost laughable. "I should though..." 

"No, no!" Richie laughed. "Stay with me, Spaghetti, I just got you back." 

Eddie laughed, kicking him lightly under the table. Richie smirked. "So, back to my original question. I personally was thinking--" he stopped short when he saw Eddie's eyes widen a bit. He huffed; he knew that look. "Please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me." 

"One of Them is here," Eddie said sympathetically. 

Bill came falling through the doorway of the kitchen as if the house was burning down or something. "G-G-Guys!" he shouted, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw them. He straightened out, a nasty look finding his face. "Is that my chocolate milk?" 

Richie put his hand over the top of his glass to cover it--even though it was transparent. "No." 

Mike came in behind Bill, grabbing his shoulders. "Relax, there's plenty. Plus, we don't have time for this." he glanced at Eddie. "Is it close?" 

"Yep." Eddie sighed, getting to his feet. "In the woods, not very far. Scent's strong." 

Richie groaned dramatically, leaning as far back as the chair would support him. "I am so sick of this job, how do I quit?" 

Eddie slapped Richie on the shoulder as he went by, almost causing Richie to fall to his death. "You don't, let's go."

Richie grinned as he pushed himself out of the chair. He glanced at where Freddie was staring, eyes wide with anticipation. He laughed. "Well I'm glad _someone_ likes this job. C'mon boy, it's time to do some monster hunting." 

Richie smiled as he watched everyone walk ahead of him. 

Especially with Eddie occasionally looking back over his shoulder with that cranky little look on his face every time he saw how slow Richie was going. And Freddie was stealing his entire heart--marching up there with the others, so focused and determined, just like he was one of them. Richie supposed he was. 

It was crazy to Richie that sometimes Freddie could be like this when most of the time, he was _Freddie._ Letting Munchkin lay on him, draping himself across Richie and Eddie like he was a lap dog, fetching sticks that were much much too small for him, greeting Dandelion everyday he stepped out of the house, gently licking Pest--this dog was the most nonthreatening thing Richie had ever seen, but he knew Freddie was seriously strong. It was almost weird to Richie that Freddie was more than capable enough to come along on missions with them and fight just as much as the rest of them. 

Perhaps he'd turned into a sappy dog parent, but he was so proud of him. 

Eddie stopped suddenly, looking like he was going to say something--instead, something went leaping overhead in the trees. Fast, too. Barely even a blur of motion. Richie would've doubted it had happened at all if it weren't for the leaves fluttering down in its wake. 

"Where did it go?" Ben whispered. 

"I can't keep up with it," Eddie whispered back. "It's so fast." 

There was cracking to their left, and then barely seconds later there was rustling from behind them. But wherever they looked, they couldn't find it. 

"We're not going to get anywhere standing here and waiting for it to come to us, it's too smart for that." Stan said, Shiny looking particularly stressed out and puffed up on his shoulder. "Maybe we should split up, maybe we can intercept it." 

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard, haven't you seen a horror movie?" Richie groaned. 

"I have. Luckily for us, this _isn't_ one," Stan hissed. "And I never suggested going alone. We should go in pairs." 

"There's seven of us," Bev argued. 

"No," Richie said, pointing at Freddie. "There's eight." 

"Okay, okay," Bill said. "S-Stan and I; Mike and B-Beverly; Ben and Eddie; R-Richie and Freddie. Good?" 

It was a good balance of power, no one would be stuck defenseless or unable to fight. He couldn't argue. Maybe sometimes Bill was good at his job. "Yeah," Richie nodded, the others doing the same. "Let's do it. Just yell if you manage to slow it down, yeah?" 

Everyone nodded, broke off into their groups, and began searching. 

Richie and Freddie wandered for a bit, but it was dead silent in every direction they went.

He was starting to feel hopelessly lost. Clearly, they hadn't gone the right way. And he was starting to worry about the others. Just as he was turning around, he heard something. Freddie's ears twitched as well, so he definitely didn’t imagine it.

They both went completely still, listening closely.

"Psst, Richie!"

It was Bev.

"Bev?" he called, trying to be as quiet as possible as he followed where he thought her voice was coming from. "What's going on?"

"I found something cool, just follow my voice, okay?"

Richie laughed as he did as told. He still couldn't see her but he was pretty sure he could hear footsteps ahead of them too. The forest was getting denser, but Richie wasn't too concerned. They could handle themselves, especially Bev.

Her voice stopped after that though, and her footsteps seemed to slowly fade off too. "Bev?" he called, trying to stay quiet, but hoping to project his voice a bit.

He got no reply. So he kept going the way he'd been following. He figured if he didn't find anything--or anyone--soon, he'd turn back. Bev would know where to find him. Plus, she didn't sound panicked. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't very important to the mission.

Eventually, he came out to a clearing with something like a large pond. It wasn't much of a "clearing", the trees still towered overhead and blocked out most of the sun--the woods were so dense here, it was almost suffocating. But the body of water was at least fifty feet across. Not quite a lake, but quite the impressive pond. 

And the best part about a pond? No trees in it. It broke up a little off the crowding around here; it was a relief to see. He felt like he could breathe a little better.

Freddie walked to the water and peered down at his reflection curiously. Richie laughed and knelt at his side, looking with him. Freddie's tail wagged excitedly when Richie's reflection joined his. 

Richie couldn't help the smile on his face and he couldn't remember if Freddie had ever seen himself before. Richie began making faces and Freddie watched with increasing interest. It made Richie bust up laughing, and he probably would've laughed until he cried if Freddie hadn't snapped his head up suddenly. 

Richie followed his gaze to the other side of the water where what looked like a mountain lion was just standing there, staring at them. 

But as it slowly began wading into the water toward them, Richie began to realize that wasn't the case. Its tail was too long--and now that it was leaving the heavy cover of the trees and into the water where a bit more sun could get through, he could see the tail wasn't a tail at all. Not a mountain lion's, anyway. It was a giant scorpion tail--that stinger pointed rather threateningly at them. 

Almost even worse, there was another mouth on its neck. A distrusting, sharp-toothed mouth. And when it used that mouth to speak, Richie's blood went cold. 

"Richie? Come here." 

It was Bev's voice. 

It hit him like a hammer all at once that he'd been lured here. He had no idea how far he had blindly gone into the woods following what he thought was Bev, but all he knew now was that he was in serious danger. This thing was smart. He just had to hope it hadn't gotten any of the others yet with that little trick. 

Richie scrambled to his feet and the moment he did, the monster abandoned all previous intentions of going slow. It was fast before, but when it swam it was impossible to see. Out of pure frantic instinct, Richie slammed his hands into the water and released as much electricity into it as he could. 

The monster was so fast it saw the currents coming--it _outran_ the current traveling through the water in half a second by leaping out of the water before the current could reach it, crashing into Richie and sending them both rolling. 

Freddie was on it in a second, biting the back of its neck and managing to twist it off Richie. 

Dazed, the only thing Richie could think to do was start screaming. "Guys!" he shouted, as loud as he could--he had gone so far, and he had no idea how much of his voice would make it through the density of the forest. "We found it, we found it!" 

It smacked Freddie of it. Its legs were strong, which wasn't surprising, considering the speed. 

It was after Richie in a second--quite literally, it was too quick for Richie to run, much less move out of the way. It snapped its jaw just half an inch away from Richie's face and all Richie could do was push back on its neck as hard as he could, while also trying to avoid getting his hands too close to that extra mouth. He was sure the main purpose of it was mimicking, but it definitely had enough teeth to bite. 

As they struggled, it began speaking again. Eddie this time: "Richie, calm down." 

It gave Richie actual chills to hear the calmness in "Eddie's" voice during this absolutely frantic struggle. Finally, Richie managed to get a hand steady on its jaw, and he released as much volts as he could without having another explosion. 

The monster roared, and the mimicked voices of both Bev and Eddie screeched with it. 

"Freddie, let's go!" Richie shrieked as he saw Freddie finally getting his bearings again. 

Richie scrambled to his feet and had only gotten maybe half a step when he felt a stinging pain shoot up his leg. He thought he'd been shot for a moment, but once he hit the ground and looked back, he'd realized he'd been stung. It hurt bad--not as bad as that horrible hornet thing, and the affects weren't as aggressive thankfully. But Richie's leg was going numb and it was spreading up to his hips at an alarming rate. 

"Shit, shit," he cursed, trying to crawl away now. Still no sign of the others, they must've not been able to hear him. "Shit, shit, shit!" 

He knew he wasn't a psychic like Bill or Stan or Mike, but he sure was trying as hard as he could to send some kind of distress signal. If Stan couldn't get into their heads, then surely they all had some kind of power. And Bill had found his way to Richie's mind when he was stuck in that dream--there must've been a reason for that; a reason that Richie was able to understand and help him.

That monster was beginning to shake off the effects of Richie's attack--yeah, Richie was hoping _real_ hard he had some psychic ability. 

The numbness had spread up to his chest now, and his arms were shaking--they'd probably be next. The only good thing was that Richie could feel the bottoms of his feet just a bit. It must not last long--which also made sense. This thing was so damn fast, it didn't _need_ very long. 

It was coming at him again and that was it, Richie was sure of it. His arms were giving out, he was pretty sure he didn't have it in him to muster up any more power while he was like this, the Losers weren't here and probably weren't coming. He was fucked. 

The Them shrieked again--stolen voices shrieking with it. Richie could hear his own voice in the mix now. It was too smart; it was already planning ahead on how to lure the others. But it was shrieking for a reason; Freddie had it by the tail. And he was biting down hard--a disgusting snap accompanying. 

It swatted back at him, cutting him deep in the face, but when he let go its tail already looked like a broken twig. Not bitten off, but just barely still attached. The power in Freddie's jaw was unbelievable. 

Freddie went for its neck again, the front of it this time. He wasn't scared of the mouth on it, his was bigger. He took the entire thing's neck in his mouth and did his amazing jaw crushing thing again. Only this time, he was at a bit of a disadvantage. It was too easy for the Them to dig its claws into Freddie's neck and bite into his head.

It was Freddie who shrieked this time when he pulled away, and it sent pure panic through Richie. He tried moving again. He could plant his feet, but that wasn't much use if the rest of him was still numb. He couldn't get up, so he couldn't do anything. 

Freddie hadn't shaken off the bite just yet, and thick black blood was running down his face. But that monster wouldn't be so kind to wait for him to be ready again, this time it went for Freddie's neck, copying his tactic of trapping it in its jaw. 

"Stop!" Richie shouted; he could feel his power moving through him again. It was just like fighting Nessie all over again--it was just under his skin, he felt like he'd split. And this time, he willed it--he _wanted_ to explode, if it meant killing this thing and saving Freddie. 

But he couldn't. 

It must've been the numbness, his body just couldn't. It was swarming right there under his skin but no matter how hard he pushed for it, nothing happened. He strained as hard as he could and still nothing. 

He had no choice but to watch as that monster tore at Freddie's throat, nothing short of ripping it apart. 

“Freddie!” he cried.

An enormous amount of fire went barreling into the monster and it let out the most hellish scream, releasing Freddie and trying to make a break for the water. It _really_ didn't like fire. 

The water--the entire body of it--turned to ice before the Them could get in. And judging by the frantic way it was clawing at the ice to try and break through with no success, Ben had frozen it _solid._

Eddie fell to his knees beside Richie. "Oh my god, Richie!" he cried, placing his hands on him. It was slow, but he could feel the numbness in him leaving his body, like it was being slowly dragged out of him. "What the hell happened!?" 

Richie didn't bother trying to answer, he just focused on getting to his hands and knees. The moment he could, he went sprinting over to Freddie. "Freddie!" he cried, ignoring the fire fight going on behind him. 

Freddie laid there, trying to whimper, but could barely do so with his throat in the state it was in. "Oh god, you're fine, you're fine," he assured, petting him comfortingly. He was so bloody and beaten up--he had fought _so_ hard. "Eddie!" 

Eddie didn't need to be told what to do, putting his hand on Freddie's neck. He was trying, but he shook his head. "It's not reforming," he muttered. "I think there's too much of his throat missing," he said, and the grave look on his face was definitely not what Richie wanted to see. 

"It doesn't matter! You fixed Mike when he was gaping open, didn't you!?" 

"Yes, but I understand his anatomy!" Eddie said, panicked. He was still trying, but he wasn't getting anywhere. "I don't--I don't know what I'm--" he was at a loss. 

Richie heard all their mimicked voices scream at once and when he looked over his shoulder, the Them had been burnt alive and was finally falling to dust. But he didn't care, not about that. He turned back and cupped Freddie's big, heavy head in his hands and smiled at him the best he could. "Hey buddy!" 

Freddie opened his one uninjured eye. He could barely do that. 

Richie could feel the tears stinging his eyes as his heart began cracking. "You did so good," he said, his voice trembling. But he kept that smile on his face. He didn't want Freddie to be scared. "You did _so_ good. I'm so proud of you." he sniffled, having to let the smile fall for a moment while he bit back the emotion threatening to just take over and destroy him. "I love you." 

Freddie's tail gave one, heavy wag in response, and Richie couldn't help the sob that fell out of him. He pet Freddie as comfortingly as he could. "I love you so much, buddy." 

There was something almost like peace or happiness in Freddie's eye when he stared back at Richie. Richie smiled for him again, and Freddie let out one more strangled breath. 

And then he fell to dust. 

Richie knew that's what happened when they died, but all he could do was stare in shock at the dust slipping through his fingers where he had once been holding Freddie-- _his_ Freddie. 

The sobs he'd been holding back absolutely raked through him, and he doubled over, clutching uselessly at the dust beneath him. He sobbed so hard he wasn't even really present--he had detached completely, because nothing else mattered. He couldn't feel anything else except this loss and pain. And it seemed endless as he sobbed. 

He felt a familiar hand on his back that pulled him out of the depths just a bit. The pain was unbearable, but at least he felt something else. Just that one touch was enough to keep him grounded. For now, anyway. 

When he looked back, they were all there, staring at him with wide, teary eyes. 

Eddie rubbed his back lightly. "I'm so sorry, Rich. I'm so sorry." he said, his voice shaking. 

Everyone looked absolutely exhausted and heartbroken. It was starting to get dark. And Freddie was gone. 

"Let's go home," Richie said quietly to Eddie. He couldn't bring himself to speak louder. 

Eddie just nodded in understanding, helping Richie stand even though he technically didn't need it. He was okay again physically, but he still felt weaker on his feet than he'd ever had. He was thankful to have Eddie there. 

All the Losers hugged him. And it did help, for now. But he could already feel this stabbing pain beginning to settle deep in his bones. It was looking for permanent residence. He wasn't sure how well he would handle this. 

But for right now, this would be enough. _They_ would be enough. 

Getting Richie home had taken a bit of doing. 

He could barely move, it seemed. Eddie knew he had recovered physically, but each step he took was so slow and unsteady, like he was worried about falling apart. Eddie had never ever seen Richie move so cautiously. Richie never needed caution; he was always the surest of himself. And even when he wasn't, he could always project it. He had never had an issue standing on his own two feet. Until now. 

The Losers didn't mind taking it slow with him. They couldn't understand his pain. Except Mike, who pulled away from the hug looking like his entire world had just fallen apart. Something told Eddie that Mike was avoiding Richie's mind as much as he could--and he clung to Bill's hand on the way home like a lifeline. 

When they did finally get home, everyone seemed to just quietly slink off to bed.

The moment Eddie got Richie to their room; Richie seemed more than eager to get into bed. He was asleep within minutes. Eddie wasn’t sure if he was just exhausted or avoiding the pain as much as possible. Probably both.

Eddie sat there with him, at his side. He just sat there for awhile and watched over him. His heart was broken for Richie—it was broken in general. This loss was devastating for all of them, but for Richie…

Eddie sighed softly and made his way downstairs to get some water.

He stared down into the drain of the sink as he drank. His eyes were transfixed and they felt too heavy and too tired to move, so that’s where they stayed. Even as he poured the remainder of his water out, he still didn’t look away. He just watched the water escape down the drain.

A soft mew sounded from the window.

Pest sat there; the concern evident on its face. Its usual, cheery expression nowhere to be found. It watched from a distance, looking like it wanted so badly to come closer, but not wanting to risk overstepping a boundary.

Staring at it, Eddie realized that he had just sort of thought that their Them were invincible. He had never even considered he could lose them—Not Shiny, not Dandelion, not Munchkin, not Freddie. Not Pest.

Eddie walked over and he didn’t bother pulling any sort of stubborn or cranky face. He just stared at the little, concerned looking beast staring up at him. And Eddie mirrored the look on its face, he was sure.

He held out his arms, and Pest didn’t hesitate as it crawled into them.

Eddie hugged Pest to his chest for a moment, and when Pest purred, some of the storm raging inside him calmed.

As he began carrying Pest upstairs, it calmed him more and more. Until he realized this was more than just welcome comfort. “Your purr?” he asked softly.

Pest just stared up at him, and Eddie just seemed to know that Pest’s purr brought some peace. A handy power, especially for right now.

Eddie cradled his little monster close as he climbed the steps. When he made it back to their room, he placed it on Richie. Pest curled up and purred softly.

Richie seemed to relax. He had looked so tensed and troubled, even while sleeping—but now, he looked like he was getting some actual rest at least.

Eddie smiled warmly. Proudly, even.

“Thanks, buddy,” he said softly, gently crawling into bed beside Richie. He pet the little cat softly, a relaxed sigh leaving him as increased that purr.

“Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	24. The Bravest One You've Ever Known

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness on this one, but I hope you enjoy! :)

It had been a bit quiet lately, to say the least. 

Richie wasn't doing too well. He tried, at first, to act like he was okay. He forced smiles and jokes and a couple of bites of food every now and then, but after a few days he couldn't keep forcing himself through the motions. And now, two weeks after the incident, he still had no appetite, no desire to get out of bed, nothing. 

Eddie made sure to make him eat little things throughout the days to keep him going, of course. He also stayed at his side as much as possible and encouraged him to get up out of bed and get dressed, but there really wasn't much he could do. 

Pest helped, too. But its purr could only be so comforting, it's not like it could actually fix any of Richie's issues. 

Everyone else did their best to engage with Richie as much as possible too, but no one really expected him to cheer up anytime soon. They were all grieving, but there was no question that this whole situation hit Richie the hardest. It was hard to watch. 

Gardening was supposed to be relaxing, but even now Eddie's mind was racing. That's all it ever did. He thought about Richie, and how poorly he was doing. And how little upwards progress he'd made. Obviously he was hurting but _surely_ he should've been starting to find ways to cope, right? Was Eddie supposed to help him find ways to do that? He had to help somehow--

"Uh, Eddie?" 

Eddie snapped back into reality when he heard Mike call for him. "Huh? What?"

"You killed that plant." 

Eddie gasped and pulled his hands away before he'd even seen what he'd done. The small tomato bush that had been in front of him was now much smaller, and withered. Tomatoes that had been red were now green and laying abandoned in the soil, not able to be supported when the plant shrunk.

Looking at it was kind of shocking. He had reversed the growth of the plant, killing the fruit in the process and overloading the base plant with the nutrients that had been inside it as an adult to the point of death. How long had he been doing that? Had he ever even done that before? 

"Shit," he cursed, running his hands through his hair. "Sorry, fuck. I can probably fix the base plant if I focus, but the tomatoes--" 

Mike placed his hand on Eddie's back. "It's okay. Why don't you head back inside for today?" 

Eddie sighed. "Sorry again." he said, but he did indeed head back inside. Getting out of the sun would be good. And it was probably about time he bring Richie some water. 

Pest was waiting inside for him and happily began following him close behind. The rest of the Losers were scattered about the house, and as Eddie walked into the kitchen, he was greeted by Bill. 

"Y-You okay?" he asked.

Eddie sighed as he collected a glass, filling it with water for Richie. He wasn't eating well today but Eddie could at least push him to stay hydrated. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just stressing a little bit." 

Bill frowned. "D-Don't worry Eds, this won't last forever." he walked over and got another cup, handing it over to him. "And don't forget to take care of y-you, too." 

Eddie genuinely smiled for the first time in awhile, which felt great. "Thanks Bill." 

Eddie made his way back upstairs with now two glasses of water. Pest eagerly climbed the steps behind him. Everywhere Eddie went, Pest was right behind him. It was endearing and sweet, if not a little nerve wracking--he was always worried he'd step on the little monster at his feet. Maybe he'd start carrying it...

"Hey," Eddie said with a cautious smile as he walked into their room, relieved to see Richie hadn't drifted back to sleep. That was mostly what he did these days. "I brought you some water." 

"Thanks," Richie said, accepting his cup. Eddie wasn't sure if he was actually thirsty, but Richie had finally mostly stopped fighting Eddie on these little things--it took him awhile, but he came to terms with the fact that Eddie wasn't leaving room for negotiation. 

Eddie sat beside him, and for a little while they just sat together, sipping from their water. Pest curled up on Richie's lap and purred steadily as Richie absently pet him. It would've been nice if not for the distance in Richie's eyes. He was almost never there with them; always somewhere else. And Eddie had a hunch that he probably knew where. 

Eddie opened his mouth to suggest _any_ conversation to bring Richie back, but that familiar feeling hit him. Richie glanced at him and grimaced. "Nooo, stop making that face," he whined--even that was halfhearted. 

"Sorry, one's here," Eddie sighed, patting Richie's leg. "Let's go." 

"Why can't you just go without me?" Richie complained. "I haven't been doing anything lately anyway." 

Eddie supposed that was true. Anytime they had a Them to take care of, Richie came along but he didn't really help. Lately they hadn't needed him; they'd been fortunate that their only opponents had been much weaker and easier to deal with. None of them had really been in the head space to fight huge battles. But at least now they were starting to feel more like themselves. Except Richie, of course. 

"No, we need you," Eddie said sternly. And who knows, maybe they could've handled this without him. But ultimately, this was an excuse to get Richie out of bed and out of the house. Plus, one of the first things they learned was to never leave anyone completely alone if they could help it. And in this case, they _could_ help it, so he was going. 

Richie groaned, but he didn't argue. He just rolled out of bed and pulled on his shoes. "I'm getting real sick of these bastards..." Richie grumbled. 

Everyone was already gathered up downstairs, waiting. Beverly smiled when she saw them coming down. "Nice of you to join us, sleepy head," she said, but even her teasing had a much softer edge these days. 

"It's pretty close, huh?" Eddie observed as he met up with them. 

"Seems that way," Bill agreed. "M-Maybe a little bigger than what we've dealt with lately, too?" 

"See?" Eddie asked, nudging Richie slightly. "We need you." 

Richie just rolled his eyes, but there was a small grin on his face. Not as playful as they usually were, but definitely something. "Whatever, let's just deal with this so we can get home and I can get back to bed." 

Eddie noticed Pest sitting beside him--the little beast never seemed to make any noise, Eddie was always surprised to see it there. He crouched down. "Listen, stay here and guard the house." he instructed, pointing to where Munchkin was asleep on the couch. "Don't let it steal everyone's stuff, got it?" 

Pest stared back at him blankly--its head absolutely empty, it seemed. 

"Great," Eddie said with a nod, straightening out with a huff. "Alright, let's go." 

As they made their way through the forest, Eddie felt something on his arm. 

It startled him at first until he felt it again and again, slowly and lightly falling all over him. It was rain. He looked up at the gray clouds overhead. "Well I guess we get to search in the rain now." he sighed. 

Beverly seemed more than happy to welcome it, sighing peacefully. "It's nice," she said. 

"It's kind of random though, isn't it?" Ben asked, holding out his hand and inspecting the drops that fell onto his palm. "It's been pretty sunny lately." 

"I doubt our monster can influence the weather, if that's what you're worried about." Stan said, rolling his eyes slightly. "Keep in mind, it's not from _here._ " 

"I guess..." Ben muttered.

A loud clap of thunder sounded overhead--it almost sounded _too_ close. And as if just to spite Stan, an owl-like monster shrieked in the trees above them; more thunder ripping through the sky. 

Everyone had thrown their hands over their ears, wincing. "Alright, fine!" Stan shouted. 

The rain was pouring now, and when they were finally able to look back up at their monster, it was gone. "Great," Richie groaned. "Where'd it go?" 

Eddie focused, furrowing his brow in concentration. It did no good. "I don't know," he sighed, frustrated. "Its scent is faint, and hard to track with the wind and rain." If it was intentional, it was definitely a clever cover-up technique. 

"Should we split up again then?" Mike asked. 

Everyone glanced at Richie without thinking about it. Richie noticed all their eyes on him and if anything it sort of made him mad. "Why are you looking at me? I don't care. If it's smarter to split up, then let's split up." 

Eddie frowned a bit. Richie was supposed to love being the center of attention; now all it did was make him squirm. 

"Richie and I can go together." Eddie said quickly. Richie clearly didn't want to deal with people too much. And sure, maybe Eddie was also being a bit selfish--but he wanted to be the one to keep an eye on him.

He didn't even really pay attention to how the others sorted out the group, he just quickly went to Richie's side and led them off once they decided what direction they'd be going in. "You okay?" Eddie asked. "With this, I mean."

"Why is everyone acting like this would upset me?" he asked, _clearly_ upset. 

"It would upset me." Eddie said honestly. "I think any of us would be upset, if we were you. It's alright to be upset, Rich," he assured. He considered taking Richie's hand, but he doubted Richie would care for that right now. 

"It's fine, Eds." Richie said, but Eddie didn't buy it. The nickname didn't come out the same way as it usually did. It wasn't as warm and playful. It came out cold and rehearsed. Painfully forced. 

"Don't call me Eds," Eddie replied quietly. _Not if you're going to say it like that._

It was taking _forever_ to find this monster. The only reason they knew it didn't up and disappear was that it was still pouring rain, and the occasional clap of thunder would strike seemingly out of nowhere. 

"Maybe I should let out some energy," Richie said after awhile. Eddie hadn't realized how long they'd gone without speaking until the silence was being filled. "Get its attention." 

Eddie nodded. Richie's presence was loud and strong, and if he pushed it even further, there was no way he could go unnoticed. 

Sure, they were baiting themselves, but it sort of came with the job. 

They didn't have to walk much longer after that--the tree beside them creaked loudly as something heavy sat on one of its branches. It was definitely huge--it hunched over like an old owl, and stared at them with snake eyes. 

Then much to Eddie's surprise, it started singing. As it did, thunder boomed overhead. 

"Its song triggers the thunder," Eddie realized. The song itself wasn't terrible, Eddie supposed. Sounded almost like a bird's song, but something was a little twisted. Eddie didn't understand the point to the song and he didn't really care to, especially if it was meddling with the weather this severely. "Wanna try zapping it?" 

Richie didn't answer. "Richie?" Eddie asked, glancing at him. 

Richie was staring at the monster, his eyes completely glazed over. "I've never heard anything like that," he muttered. Before Eddie could say anything, Richie started shuffling towards the Them, his eyes never losing that distant, foggy look. 

"Woah!" Eddie yelled, grabbing his arm. "Where are you going!?" 

Richie didn't take his eyes off the Them. "What are you talking about? I've got to go listen," he answered, but even his voice was far away. 

"What the hell!?" Eddie muttered under his breath, holding tight to Richie's arm to keep him from approaching that thing. He had no idea what it was doing, but clearly it was doing it on purpose. It stared at Richie intently as it sang, wings going stiff in anticipation. 

"Eddie!" 

Eddie turned to where Bill and Mike were, both of them with their hands pressed tightly to their ears. "It song is hypnotizing!" he seemed to hesitate, seeing Eddie staring back at him. "B-But if you're truly happy, it has no effect!" 

Eddie stared in surprise for a moment or two. _If you're happy...?_ he glanced at Richie, frowning. Looking at him so entranced by this thing's song, it all made sense. It was a beast who targeted the sad. Eddie's heart hurt as he watched Richie completely taken over by this--but even then, it still didn't affect Eddie. 

Because where it counted, he was happy. Being sad on the surface for someone else wasn't enough. 

So that meant Richie was heartbroken, all the way down to his core. 

"Richie!" Eddie shouted, yanking him back. "Stop! You don't have to let this take over you!" He yanked him back again, as hard as he could, and it was enough to snap him out of it for a second. _Finally,_ he looked at Eddie. He looked bewildered and confused, but there was some clarity in his eyes at least. 

Eddie wasted no time in throwing his hands over Richie's ears. "Don't listen!" 

Richie only looked more confused, but he let Eddie keep his hands there. Eddie looked over his shoulder worriedly, just in time to watch the Them realize its song had been interrupted. It shrieked, more thunder sounding overhead. 

With the bird distracted and throwing a glorified fit, Eddie quickly removed his hands from Richie's ears and cupped his face instead. "Listen! You don't have to let this take over you! I know you love Freddie and I know it hurts, but--" 

Richie took a step back, looking utterly lost. "Woah, Eds, what the hell? What's going on?" 

"That Them controls people with its song, but only people who aren't truly happy--we need to talk about what happened, it's just sitting inside you--"

"What?" Richie asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "What, you're trying to tell me it didn't work on you? With _our_ lives?" he asked with a humorless laugh. 

"Of course not," Eddie said confidently. "Why would it? I got away from my mom, I spend everyday with you and our friends, and we're doing something important." he softened. "I'm so happy, especially with you." 

Richie stared back at him, something softening in his eyes too now. "You really feel that way?"

"Of course," Eddie assured with a smile. 

Richie glanced at the Them, which was finally starting to settle down, its feathers puffed up in anger. He looked back at Eddie, and he looked so pained--but despite how it sounded, Eddie was _relieved._ It had all finally reached the surface. 

"Eddie, what if I'm not happy right now?" he asked, his voice tight. 

"That's fine!" Eddie said, grabbing his face again. "There's nothing wrong with being sad or heartbroken. After what happened, it's expected. But you have to let yourself feel it so it doesn't just sit inside you forever." 

Richie managed a smile, and finally, it wasn't empty. 

"Wanna get rid of that thing before it starts singing again?" Eddie asked, mirroring his smile. 

Richie laughed--it was a bit raw and unsteady, but it wasn't forced, that was for sure. "I guess if I must," Richie said, some of his playful warmth returning to him. 

And all Eddie could do--even as Richie was killing a monster of all things--was sigh in relief. 

By the time they made it home, everyone was exhausted. 

Even if the storm had cleared after Richie killed the monster, they were still cold and in need of a change of clothes and some warm food. Mike was more than happy to make a warm dinner, and even Richie ate. Eddie was absolutely beaming--he tried not to show it too much, he didn't want to embarrass him, but he couldn't exactly hide it either. 

It would take time, of course. Richie wasn't suddenly happy or anything, but he was finally moving forward, finally letting his grief be felt and worked through his system rather than just pushing it down and hurting himself more. 

And Eddie was more than happy to patiently stay at his side as he worked through this. Just seeing him so much more alive for the first time in what felt like forever was more than enough for Eddie. 

As they were settling into bed that night, Richie paused and glanced at Eddie. "I love you, Eds." 

The pleasant warmth rushed through him, forcing a smile to his face. "I love you too, Rich." 

And maybe it was just his own positive bias, but Richie seemed to be having better sleep that night than he had in a long time. 

Eddie fell asleep easier at least, that was for sure. He hadn't realized how much worry he'd been carrying for Richie until it was gone. 

They were going to be fine. Richie was going to be fine.

When Eddie awoke again, it must've been past midnight at least.

Eddie tried his hardest to slip out of Richie's arms without waking him, but didn't do as well as he hoped. 

"Sorry," he whispered when Richie stirred, looking at him with groggy confusion. 

"Where're you going Spaghetti?" Richie mumbled sleepily, watching as Eddie scooted off the bed. 

"Gotta pee," he said, standing and stretching. "I'll be right back." 

He yawned heavily as he dragged his feet through the dark, quiet hall. It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to get down the stairs without killing himself; he was _so_ tired. All he could think about was going back to bed. He would've rushed as much as possible while he was in the bathroom but he just didn't have the energy. 

It wasn't until he was done and was about to start the arduous task of climbing back up the stairs that he noticed the kitchen light was left on. He mumbled some complaints to himself under his breath as he shuffled that way. Just as he was about to flick the light off and go back to bed, he noticed a _hand_ laying on the ground, behind the stand alone counter in the middle of the room. 

He blinked as hard as he could and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was only slightly relieved to realize upon further inspection that someone must've been just laying on the ground behind the counter rather than there just being a detached hand abandoned on the floor. But that discovery brought on a whole new wave of anxiety. 

The muscles in his legs had gone stiff, and it was all he had to push them forward. Slowly, he dragged his feet over there, fear willing him to give up and turn around and sprint up the steps. 

But he managed to keep moving. And when he was close enough, he hesitantly peered behind the counter. 

Both relief and panic washed over him instantly when he saw Bill laying there. "Bill!" he exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling beside him. "Hey!" he shook his arm, his chest growing tighter at the sight of his pale skin and bloody nose.

Thankfully, Bill groaned in response. 

"Jesus Christ," Eddie muttered, pulling Bill up and against him, trying to help him sit up. "What happened!?" 

It took him a minute, but soon Bill's heavy swaying stopped and he was able to sit up without assistance. He rubbed at his head, groaning. He finally opened his eyes and they were bloodshot and red. "I don't feel v-very good." 

"Yeah, no shit!" Eddie said, panicking. "What the hell is going on--were you attacked?! Is there a Them we can't feel or--" 

Bill shook his head. "No," he said, sounding almost surprised by it. "I don't know wh-what's going on," he admitted. 

Eddie didn't like that one bit. 

"Well..." he shrugged a little. "Are you okay?" 

Bill laughed softly, despite the way it seemed to make his head ache further. "I g-guess so." he didn't sound entirely convinced, and it didn't look like his pain was lessening. 

Eddie just sighed in relief and hugged him. "Whatever weird shit's going on, I'm sure we'll be fine." he said with a slight laugh. Bill didn't seem as amused though, not so much as a chuckle. Eddie cleared his throat, deciding that was probably insensitive right now. "Think you can stand? We can go find Richie." Bill didn't say anything, so Eddie continued. "Or Mike. Or I can go get him?" 

Still nothing. "Bill?" Again, nothing. 

Eddie cursed when he pulled Bill back and he was out cold again. As carefully as he could, he laid Bill back down before scrambling to his feet, panic rising as he went sprinting up the stairs to wake the others. 

Eddie knew better than to assume this was just another Them, or Bill being sick. This was without a doubt something Bill had never felt before--something none of them had encountered yet. And with their life, it could be _anything._

But the only thing Eddie knew for certain was that, whatever it was, it was _bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


	25. We Know the Way the Wind Grows Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I know I left the last chapter on a cliffhanger and then disappeared for like over a month, but I am back LMAO
> 
> We unexpectedly had my cousin move in with me and she's been sharing a room with me. I also started my last quarter of college. As you can imagine, it's been a little difficult to find time to write and stuff, but everything is settled down now and I am back. And we've only got a few more chapters left :') So let's do this! :')

The entire house was plunged into chaos. 

Eddie came shouting up the stairs, slamming everyone's doors open and _freaking_ out. Richie had almost sent poor Pest sailing off him in his attempt to sit up as fast as possible. "It's Bill!" Eddie shouted. "Something's really wrong!"

Richie had sort of just been expecting a bloody nose, maybe a dazed look in his eyes--but Bill was completely out cold on the kitchen floor. His under-eyes were dark and his skin white as a sheet, the color draining from him more and more by the second. And no matter what they tried, they couldn't wake him. 

With no other options, Richie and Mike carried Bill upstairs and into his bed.

Everyone gathered into that one room, all panicking and talking over each other, trying to suggest what could be going on. And more importantly, what they should do. 

"Hey shut up!" Richie shouted after just a few moments of the madness, waiting until everyone actually did so before looking at Eddie. "What happened?" 

"I just found him on the floor," Eddie said, still as panicked as he was when he came scrambling up the stairs. "I woke him up for a second, but he was out again quick." he looked at Richie, a very unpleasant look in his eyes. "I have a _really_ bad feeling, Rich." 

It sent chills down Richie's spine. 

Ben looked around anxiously. "Shouldn't we take him to a hospital or something?" 

"Are you kidding?" Stan sputtered. "And tell them what?! They're not gonna find anything, and then we'll have to somehow explain why he's like this even though there's nothing wrong with him. That's just asking for unwanted attention." 

Mike had been working on trying to get Bill to wake up with no success. "Well there has to be something we can do. Eddie, can't you heal him or something?" 

"I can't heal him being affected by some supernatural pressure in the universe, Mike." Eddie snapped. Almost immediately after he said it, his eyes lit up as he looked at Richie. "Can you give him some energy? Maybe it'll be enough to get him to come to." 

Richie nodded, sitting at Bill's side. He grabbed Bill's hand and just sat there a bit awkwardly. The Losers had often used him as a charger, but they usually hugged him or leaned on him or something. He was not nearly as comfortable just holding the hand of his unconscious friend. It concerned him how cold Bill’s skin was. 

A bad feeling started to slowly wash over him; seeping through his body. Bill was dealing with something, and it was a lot stronger than him. 

The thought sent a sort of urgency through him--he decided to hold Bill's hand with both of his own. 

It took awhile. Richie wasn't sure how long they all stood around in an anxious silence, not speaking a word, all eyes on Bill. But it did seem to be working; he at least had a little color in face after a few minutes.

It must've been almost a half an hour later when he finally stirred, somehow managing to open his heavy eyes.

"Bill!" everyone shouted, crowding around. 

"Ugh, my head," he groaned, sitting up weakly. 

"Hey," Mike said softly, putting his arm around him to help steady him. He smiled warmly, and Richie wasn't sure if he was trying to be comforting or if he was just so relieved he was awake. "What's going on?" 

Bill looked at him, frowning deeply. There was something unsettling in Bill's eyes that made Richie glad they were directed at Mike instead of him. "S-Something..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "Can someone bring me m-my cards?" 

Bev went rushing downstairs without another word. Bill just sat there, rubbing insistently at his head. "He's been trying to t-tell me something," he said, sounding strained. 

"By clocking you out?" Richie asked incredulously. "Seems like a shitty way to get the message through." 

"No, he's just trying to t-talk to me more directly," Bill replied grumpily. 

"Why?" Eddie asked worriedly. "What would be so important...?" 

Bev came rushing back in, practically shoving the cards in Bill's hands, breathless. She was uncharacteristically anxious. There was definitely something heavy in the atmosphere, making them all squirm beneath it. 

"I guess we're gonna find out," Richie answered. 

Bill didn't rush at all as he spread out his cards this time, despite the urgency. His fingers lingered with purpose on each one. He hadn't even started reading them yet but he seemed to already be getting something from them--seemed their cosmic turtle _really_ had something to say. 

_Finally,_ Bill shut his eyes and dragged his fingers over the cards. Everyone stayed dead silent, watching him. He wasn't even _reading_ them, his eyes were completely closed--whatever message was in them was coming through loud and clear. 

Minutes dragged on, slow and heavy. It was when Richie was considering breaking the silence he was being crushed under that something exploded up through the floor. In the corner of the room, a thick vine had pushed its way through the floorboards. So dark green it was almost black, and clearly strong enough to break through the damn house with seemingly little struggle.

"Did that just come up from the floor?!" Stan sputtered in shock, a grave look of realization falling over his face. "What's going on downstairs?" 

"Basement!" Bill blurted, tossing the blanket aside, effectively sending his cards flying with it, but he clearly wasn't concerned with them at the moment. No one knew what the hell was going on, but that didn't stop them from going scrambling after Bill as he bolted down the stairs. 

"Oh shit!" Richie cursed once they reached the bottom of the stairs. Those vines were everywhere, spreading and climbing every damn inch of the house. 

"Basement!" Bill shouted again, stealing their attention back just as he disappeared down the second flight of stairs leading down there. Everyone practically fell all over each other trying to catch up with him. 

The basement was worse. 

The vines were clearly coming from here; Richie couldn't even see the floor anymore. It was just a writhing, black mass as far as he could see--how long had these been working their way out? Surely this couldn't have _all_ just happened...

They stood at the bottom of the steps, not daring to set foot in there, staring in shock. "What...?" Bev muttered. "What is this, Bill?" she asked. 

Everyone turned to him now that he was finally still for a few seconds. He shook his head. "I-I'm not sure, but look--" he said, pointing to the well; the boards they had put over it were busted into splinters, and the vines were coming from there. 

"Great, glad we closed that up," Richie muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. "So what do we do?" 

Everyone turned to Bill once again, who now looked just as lost as the rest of them. "I don't know," he admitted. "Should we... try to k-kill them?" 

"What are they exactly?" Eddie chimed in. "They don't have a presence I can feel." 

"I don't think the host is here," Bill said, which of course, only made sense to him. 

"Less cryptic, please." Richie huffed. 

"I don't think the host is h _-here,_ " he said again, not sounding amused. "Like, not here with us--not in th-this physical world at _all_." 

Richie chewed it over for a moment before sighing heavily. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant for them, but clearly they needed to do something or else the house would be consumed. "We have to get rid of these." 

"I'll try," Bev said; with a flick of her wrist, fire lit up the basement. But then it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. She stared in shock. "It didn't affect them at all..." 

Richie and her exchanged worried glances--quickly, he tried shocking them but was met with the same result. They knew damn well it would happen, but Ben tried freezing them anyway. Nothing. They were completely impervious to any sort of power of theirs.

"Maybe only the Them can hurt it?" Eddie suggested desperately. 

Stan shook his head. "Shiny wouldn't even come downstairs with me, he's scared out of his mind."

Eddie looked around, only now realizing Pest wasn't at his feet. That worried, scared look on Eddie's face made Richie's heart twist in the most agonizing way. "Well then I'll cut them myself!" he announced, internally wincing at the frantic desperation in his voice. He just couldn't stand to see Eddie and all the others like this. 

He went running to the kitchen, rummaging around through the silverware until he found the biggest knife they owned. He looked it over quickly, deciding it would work. These vines were huge, it would take a few hits, but he was pretty confident he could do it. 

Eddie was not confident he could do it. 

"If fire and ice and electricity didn't work--what makes you think a kitchen knife will!?" he complained. Richie did his best to ignore him as he tried to pick out the smallest vine he could find. Sadly, it seemed they were already pretty much the same size. 

The others had caught up now. Bev crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Yeah, Rich, I think all you're gonna do is break that knife. And maybe your hand." 

"She's right!" Eddie nagged. 

"You guys, just let me try--maybe the elements just don't affect it! Or maybe just our powers, we have no idea," he argued, raising the knife over his head. The vine wiggled and writhed. "Stay still ya little bastard," he muttered to himself, reaching out to steady it. 

"Don't touch it!" Bill shouted, but he was too late. 

For a jarring minute, Richie had no idea what had happened. 

He couldn't breathe, everything had gone gray, and there was nothing in his hands anymore. Soon, air came back to him and he took in a gasping breath, looking around frantically. He had no idea where he was, but the others were there too, scattered about and looking just as dazed as he had just felt. 

It was endless and gray and dark. When he stood on his own two feet, it didn't feel steady beneath him. He couldn't feel _anything_ beneath him. "Guys?" he asked shakily; even his voice sounded so detached and far away. He wasn't completely sure if it was his own. 

"I know where we are," Bill said--not even a trace of a stutter. He was the only one of them that looked calm and composed, he seemed to already have his footing and was sure of it. "This place feels familiar. I think it's whatever dimension I connect to so that I can communicate with Maturin." 

Everyone was only now shakily getting to their feet. "So... What? This is a different dimension? And it's what, in some mindscape?" Stan asked, looking like he already knew the answer. 

"Seems that way," Bill answered as he glanced over at Richie. "I guess whenever you touched the vines, it brought us here." 

"So that means," Eddie started hesitantly, "that this is where the host's true body is?" 

To answer his question, everything shook violently. Richie didn't need to see that something was with them now to know it, he could just feel it now. A huge, monumental pressure--like a bad migraine, but much more deadly. He was sure his skull would give under the weight of it. He dropped his head into his hands and screwed his eyes closed, willing this initial shock to pass. 

It took Richie a moment to realize that suddenly strong, cold wind was tearing at him. When he felt able, he risked a glance around. 

His breath caught--what had just been empty space before them was now a seemingly endless sea, churning viciously, crashing against the jagged rocks scattered about with such force that Richie was sure they'd crumble and be consumed by the ferocious waters. Richie glanced at their feet--they were on a shore now; course, black sand beneath them. But even now, Richie still felt like he wasn't standing on anything at all. _Just another part of this thing, just as much so as the raging ocean and angry wind, I guess._

Richie had no doubts that this was indeed the host. It very clearly claimed this territory and expanded over it with its dark, undoubtedly deep waters. It was alive and it was powerful. 

"Bill?" Bev asked, glancing at him.

He didn't look so good anymore, but he was still standing at least. "That's our host," he said, confirming what they were suspecting. 

"What do we do? Should I try and freeze the water--"

"No," Bill said simply, not letting Ben finish. "This isn't that kind of fight." 

"What's that mean?" Eddie asked, shuffling closer to Richie's side, taking his hand. 

“We can’t fight it here,” Bill explained. “Not the way we’re used to.” He looked a bit strained, maybe even confused—like he was thinking out loud: “We have to work together to take it down.”

“Well I’m sure whatever this… _Something_ is—“ Richie began, motioning at the scene before them, “—can be dealt with the same way we’ve dealt with the others. Haven’t we always been working together?”

“No, not like that,” Bill muttered, shaking his head thoughtfully. “This is different. We have to…” he trailed off, clearly he hadn’t figured it out that far yet. He was starting to look worse and worse, and as Richie realized this, he also noticed the waves were getting more aggressive.

The Losers exchanged worried glances—it was hard enough for them to be here, but Bill was far more sensitive to this.

“Hey, are you okay?” Mike asked gently, resting a hand on Bill’s back.

A particularly strong and stinging gust of wind hit them at full force. It almost knocked Eddie over; it would have if he and Richie hadn’t been holding onto each other. Bev and Stan weren’t so lucky, a spray of black sand accompanying their falls.

“I don’t think it wants to be friends!” Richie shouted over the howling wind, not sure if his voice even reached any of them.

Whatever this Something was clearly knew which one of them was the threat because it went after Bill first; the sand underneath his feet warping. The sand shot up like the vines from the house, grabbing him and beginning to drag him under.

It was almost impossible to hear anything, but Richie definitely heard everyone’s screams as they went scrambling over to Bill. They tried to pull him while he tried to claw his way out, but this was just way too strong. Richie’s heart pounded painfully so as Bill sank lower and lower. What happened when he was pulled under? Where did he go? Would he come back? He had absolutely no idea what to expect, and he didn’t really want to find out.

After what seemed like an eternity of agonizing struggling, Bill disappeared. Mike immediately began trying to dig at the sand, shouting something they couldn’t hear, but the sand had completely gone back to normal.

They didn’t have much time to be stressed out about it before another surge of pressure hit—it felt like the sky had just fallen; the pressure that hit Richie was like an immeasurable weight, bringing him to his hands and knees. His body shook all over and he was sure he’d be crushed, but he was still alive somehow.

It was agony to try and move at all, but he lifted his head to check on the others.

Stan, Mike, and Eddie were out cold. Blood seeped out of their noses and ears. This attack was painful, but it wasn’t for him or Bev and Ben—it was for the Losers whose Shines were nonphysical.

Richie was starting to adjust somehow, and he forced himself to scramble over to Eddie’s side with the help of his rising adrenaline. “Hey!” he shouted, even though he couldn’t even hear himself. At this point, he wasn’t sure if the wind was still too loud or if his eardrums had ruptured.

He grabbed Eddie’s face, patting his cheek frantically over and over again. Eddie didn’t respond in the slightest. With increasing panic, Richie sat him up, leaning him against him. He patted him and shook him but he didn’t respond at all. He glanced back at Bev and Ben, who had been trying to wake Mike and Stan. They shook their heads gravely.

Hesitantly, Richie laid him back down. _Hang in there, Spaghetti,_ he thought pleadingly. _I’ll figure this out._

He made his way over to Ben and Bev. “What should we do?” he shouted, leaning in as close as he could. He couldn’t even hear himself really, but Bev still shrugged in response. They all looked so strung out, this was exhausting.

They decided to take a moment to brainstorm. Richie leaned against a rock nearby, while Ben and Bev sat in the sand together, leaning on each other.

Just trying to think was giving Richie a headache. Surely if there was an option, it would’ve presented itself already. And surely, Bill would’ve figured it out before…

Richie couldn’t focus. He was so worried about the others. Could they die here? It was the only question circulating his mind. _What if they’ve died already?_

He shifted his weight on his heels back and forth anxiously, trying to force himself to think about the task at hand. Or just anything other than _that._ After a few moments of doing so, he realized the sand beneath him felt… _off_.

It was damp beneath his feet. He was sure it hadn’t been just a few minutes ago, he wasn’t close enough to the ocean. He looked around, confused. It didn’t seem the waves were reaching any further than before, so how? He even held out his hand, open to the possibility that maybe it had started to rain and he just somehow hadn’t noticed. Again, nothing.

But as he looked around more and saw puddles of water welling up all over the sand’s surface, the realization sunk in and made his heart drop. Water was rising up from underneath.

He was about to go rushing over to Ben and Bev when he realized that they were the only two left—the bodies of the others had vanished. It stopped him dead in his tracks—he was utterly jarred. They’d just _disappeared_. Did the sand take them too when he wasn’t paying attention? _Eddie?_

The water was rising fast now, already reaching Richie’s ankles, and it wasn’t slowing down. He cursed and scrambled onto the rock he’d been leaning against. It was jagged and it cut his hands as he hastily climbed it, but it was better than the alternative.

Once he made it, he looked around to see how Ben and Bev were doing.

They weren’t doing well. The water was already at their chests. Richie was beginning to grow frantic—why weren’t they finding a rock to climb on? He tried shouting to them, but there was no way it would carry.

He noticed too late that Bev was struggling, like she was stuck. Richie could only imagine the sand was holding her. And Ben wouldn’t leave her side. Richie was about to go rushing to help when the water went over their heads. Ben didn’t even try to swim the surface which told Richie all he needed to know—this water probably wasn’t normal, just like the sand. If he went in, he wouldn’t come back up.

Richie put his hand over his chest to calm himself, he was getting hysterical. The water was still rising, it was close to the top of the rock Richie was on already. But that scared him far less so than the thought that his friends were gone. He didn’t even know _how_ gone; they were just gone. He was all alone.

He stood and looked around and it was just angry, vast ocean as far as he could see. The water was dark like an abyss and it was everywhere. He was horrified, he couldn’t breathe.

Each breath he forced out was sharp. It was familiar, though. And as the water touched his feet, he recognized the static crackling in his lungs with each labored inhale. He willed it this time, encouraging the buzz across his skin. The power was surging through him fast, pushing under his skin. He knew Eddie didn’t like when he did this last time, but who cares? So what, he’ll end up in a coma for a few days—if it gave him a chance of taking out this thing, and maybe even bringing his friends back, then he didn’t care. Eddie could yell at him all he wanted. And God, Richie really hoped he’d hear Eddie yell at him again.

His anticipation spiked as he felt the energy about to all spill over. _I really hope this works,_ he thought as all his power was about to rip its way out of him.

And just as it was supposed to, it just didn’t.

He wasn’t sure how, but Something had completely capped his powers—it had just effortlessly stopped the whole thing. Like Richie was nothing more than a soda bottle about to explode.

He felt like he was being torn apart—the pressure on the outside from Something, and now his own pressure from within was pushing at him from both sides; and it all had nowhere to go.

He’d burst, he was sure of it. He was tearing at the seams. It was unbearable.

The water was approaching his hips now. And that was it. Everything he had in him had just been stopped, as easily as flicking off a switch. He hadn’t stood a chance to begin with. There was nothing more he could do. He’d lost.

Just as he was trying to come to terms with that, everything fell away.

For the briefest of seconds, there was nothing but blinding light. Then as he started to come to, he realized there was a lot of sound. Shouts and cracks and thumps, endlessly. It felt so far away at first, but it was coming rushing in all around him.

“Richie!”

Richie’s eyes shot open, and Eddie was standing over him, grabbing his arm and yanking him to his feet. “We have to go!”

Richie was disoriented to say the least. He looked around, and realized they were back at the house. That was definitely not necessarily a good thing—the vines were everywhere; they were crushing the walls and the foundation of the house. Pieces of it were falling around them.

Thankfully, the others—except for Bill—looked disoriented, too. Bill was just frantically trying to get everybody on their feet and out of the house.

“What happened?” Richie asked dizzily as he and Eddie rushed towards the exit.

“Bill pulled us out of there,” Eddie explained. “That was really close.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Richie muttered. But he gladly squeezed Eddie’s hand. They had huge problems here, but he couldn’t deny the relief that he was okay. That they were all okay.

The stumbled out of the house, the Them already in the yard, pacing nervously as they waited for them. The other Losers came falling out after them, and they all fell all over each other in the grass. They didn’t even bother trying to detangle themselves or get up. Instead, they all just sat right where they were and watched. Just watched as their house fell to pieces. There was nothing else they could do.

In a matter of minutes, Neibolt was pulled down to the ground and dust. The only proof it had every really existed at all was the rubble and wreckage it left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)  
> @honbuunn (tumblr)  
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)  
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!

**Author's Note:**

> @Punkyiggy (instagram, tumblr)   
> @honbuunn (tumblr)   
> @losersreapwhatyousow (tumblr)   
> #losersreapwhatyousow on instagram!


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